


Little Men

by Never_Stop_Dreaming



Category: Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: M/M, a little angst to though, a lot of fluff tbh, eventually a Javid fic, little women au, minor homophobia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-21
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:47:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 22,888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22351318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Never_Stop_Dreaming/pseuds/Never_Stop_Dreaming
Summary: Jack Kelly has run away from his home in New York in an attempt to start over. Without a place to turn to, a lady named Medda Larkin offers to let him stay in her house.While there, Jack meets her four adopted sons; David, an intelligent introvert who dreams of going to college and becoming a doctor. Charlie, a boy with a bad leg and dreams of settling down with a family. Race, a mischievous young man known for causing trouble, and Les, a young boy who is still trying to figure out what he wants in life.Before he can stop himself, Jack finds himself becoming closer and closer to the family. Through the highs and lows, he remains by their side.And no, he will not be pursuing any feelings he has towards the eldest, David, no matter how tempting it gets.(Kind of a Newsies Little Women AU)(Check beginnings of chapters for TW. Nothing explicit is ever in here, but mentions of abuse are present.)
Relationships: David Jacobs/Jack Kelly, Katherine Plumber Pulitzer/Original Female Character
Comments: 57
Kudos: 128





	1. Medda’s Boys

**Author's Note:**

> TW: Mentions of alcoholism, physical abuse.

Jack had never expected to end up in a small, rural town in the middle of what felt like nowhere, but here he was.

He had just wanted to get away. From his father’s constant drinking, from the hunger pains each night, from the filthy streets of New York. He had simply grabbed his stuff and hopped on the first train out of town. He was eighteen after all, and he felt that he was more than ready to take care of himself. 

But now, he was more alone than ever, standing confused at the train station, trying to decide what to do next. Now that he had gotten away, he had no idea where to find food or a place to stay.

He tried an inn in a little town square, but when they realized he had practically no money, they threw him out, yelling not to come back until he had money to show for it. His few possessions were now scattered in the street. It was getting dark, but Jack could still feel the eyes of the people trained on him. He felt his face heat up with embarrassment.

He was trying to gather his stuff when a dark-skinned, kind-eyed woman stooped down to help.

“Are you alright, sugar?” She asked gently, handing him his sketchbook. He nodded, trying to regain some semblance of dignity by stumbling to his feet and bowing slightly at the waist to her.

“Yes, thank you m’am.”

He started to turn, but she stopped him with a gentle hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her,

“Ain’t never seen you around here. You from somewhere else?”

Jack didn’t answer, and she seemed to take the cue not to ask any more questions about where he was from.

“I suppose you could use a place to stay, at least until you get some money. There’s a free bedroom at my house, if you feel up for it. You’d have to share the house with my four boys, but they’ll treat ya real nice. It’ll at least help you get back on your feet.”

Jack blinked in surprise, but considered. He honestly had no idea what to do or where to go. He had no money, no means of getting a job. Perhaps a free place to stay would be just the thing he needs.

“If ya don’t mind, I would highly appreciate it, m’am.”

She smiled brightly, holding out her hand.

“You can call me Medda. You got a name?”

He shook it.

“Jack. Jack Kelly. It’s a pleasure.”

Medda smiled, beckoning for him to follow her. He complied, following close behind her as she walked down a lone, winding dirt road into the woods.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was almost dark when they reached the small cabin.But the lights from the windows were bright, and Jack could see some of the movement inside the house. Two boys were playing on the floor with what appeared to be toy soldiers. There was the sound of pots clanging and warm chatter.

The cabin was surrounded by a gate. Inside the yard, a dapple grey horse was grazing peacefully. The horse looked up when Medda unlocked the gate and came inside, but they resumed their eating not long after.

Medda chuckled fondly to herself, heading to the front door and pulling it open.

Jack was greeted to the smell of warm food wafting through the house, so strong it made his mouth water. Warmth was being emitted from the fire in the living room. 

The moment they both stepped inside, something collided into Medda. She let out a laugh, wrapping her arms around a little boy. He looked to be about ten, with brown eyes, and a messy mop of brown curls. 

“Goodness, Les! One of these days you’re gonna have to find a better way of saying hi that doesn’t involve scaring me half to death!” Medda laughed. She kissed Les’ cheek, then straightened herself to acknowledge the next boy. 

The second boy was clearly older, maybe fourteen or fifteen. He had bright blonde hair and even brighter blue eyes that gleamed with mischief. 

“Good evenin’ to ya, Medda! Who’s this fella?”

Medda kissed his cheek affectionately before answering. “A man in need of a place to stay for a bit. Jack, this is Race. He’s one of my youngest.”

Jack nodded in greeting. 

There were a few loud thunks from the kitchen, and out hobbled another boy. One of his legs was disfigured, and he was hobbling on a crutch, but there was a smile on his face so bright it was almost blinding. He had blonde hair and brown eyes, and when he finally hobbled up to Medda, he threw his crutch on the ground to fully embrace her. He picked up his crutch when he was done and held out his hand to Jack.

“I’m Charlie.”

“Jack Kelly.”

“Cool! We haven’t had anyone over in a long time!”

Charlie turned to yell over his shoulder.

“David! Get in here and say hi!”

“In a moment!” A voice came from the kitchen.

Medda rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. 

“Aw, come on Dave! The pot won’t boil over if ya take a moment to say hi!” Race yelled. When he got no response, Race ran into the kitchen. There was a sound of clattering, an indignant, “Race! Quit it!” Then Race was dragging an older boy out of the kitchen by his collar.

Jack couldn’t stop staring at this one.

His hair was dark, almost black, slightly curly. His eyes were a deep shade of hazel, pale skin unblemished except for a tiny scar just above his eyebrow. His seemed more put together than the other boys, his shirt unstained and pressed carefully. 

“This is David, but we all call him Davey, ‘less he’s in trouble,” Race announced proudly.

“Let go of his collar, young man! That is no way to treat someone and you know it!” Medda scolded. Race rolled his eyes, but let go anyway. David fixed his collar and nodded in Jack’s direction in greeting before turning on his heel and hurrying back to the kitchen. The other three followed him, Les chattering excitedly and Charlie’s crutch clunking on the ground in a steady rhythm.

“You’ll have to excuse some of them. They can be a bit rowdy. And David’s nice, I promise. He’s just shy is all. Hasn’t always been a people person,” Medda said, hanging her coat. Jack nodded, following her to the kitchen.

The table was already set, and in almost no time at all, everyone had sat down. Something that Jack was beginning to realize was that the house was never truly quiet. There was a constant warm running of chatter, or the fire crackling, or the sound of plates and cups clinking together.

“Race got detention from the teacher at school today!” Les announced. Race made an indignant noise, slapping Les across the back of the head. Medda raised an eyebrow.

“Race, care to explain?”

“Wasn’t my fault!” Race wailed dramatically. “I was sittin’ at the table with my table mate. The teacher was dronin’ on and on, and I just sort of started movin’ in my seat ‘cause I was bored! That teacher needs ta find new methods of teachin’! Anyway, my seat made a noise, and my teacher got mad, so he told me to rock the chair real loud until I got tired. So I did, and I guess I lasted way longer than he thought I would, ‘cause he told me to stop, but I didn’t. He grabbed me and pulled me up to his desk.” 

“Then the teacher made him stand in the corner for the rest of the school day!” Les finished, almost happily. 

“Was that the racket I heard?” Davey asked incredulously. “The windows were shaking in the classroom across the hall, you were rocking the desk so hard!”

Despite Davey’s expression, Race burst out laughing. Les joined in, and even Charlie let out a snigger. 

“Race, that was not an acceptable way to act, and you know it. I don’t expect you to apologize to your teacher, but I do expect you to start treating your classes with more respect.” Media’s voice was firm, but not harsh. This seemed to have the desired effect, as the laughter died down and Race hung his head.

“Race does have a good point, though.” Charlie piped up. “Teachers nowadays always teach using the same books and the same lectures. Some kids don’t learn that way. If I ran a school, I would want the teachers to tailor the way they taught to their students.”

“But wouldn’t that take up too much time?” David argued. “Every person is unique. If every teacher tailored their teaching to every student, nothing would ever get done.”

“Typical Dave!” Race laughed. “He likes things just the way they are! Change scares him.”

“No it doesn’t!”

“Does too!” Les yelled, grinning from ear to ear. “That’s why he won’t talk to Eva! ‘Cause he doesn’t want to get married!”

“So what?! I like my independence. I’ve never wanted a wife or children. Besides, Eva isn’t really my type.”

“I would love to get married,” Charlie admitted. “Raise kids of my own, watch them grow.” He seemed embarrassed by this admission.

“Ain’t nothing wrong with either way of living!” Medda exclaimed. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting kids or not wanting kids. As long as you are kind, it don’t matter.”

“Me and Race ain’t gonna worry about any of that!” Les said, throwing his arms around Race’s neck. “We’re gonna join the circus and travel the world!”

Medda let out a laugh, and Jack felt himself smile. His curiosity was sparked, but for now, he remained silent.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning, Jack woke up to the smell of breakfast and the sound of playing outside. Blinking sleepily, he looked out the window and smiled.

Charlie was sitting on the back of the dapple grey horse, clinging to a rope around its neck, and brandishing his crutch with the other hand. Les and Race were hanging from a tree, Davey watching from the fence, amused. 

Charlie backed the horse, raised his crutch, and yelled something, bumping his heels into the horse’s sides. The horse plodded forward slowly, and the other three boys burst out laughing. Charlie rolled his eyes, but he was smiling.

“You awake, sugar?”

Jack jerked his head to the door. Medda was standing in the doorframe, a tray full of steaming food in her hands.

“Yes, thank you, Miss Medda.”

Medda smiled, walking in and gently placing the tray on the table next to his bed. Her eyes went to the window, and she smiled fondly. 

“Precious, aren’t they?”

“That horse won’t hurt them, will they?”

“Oh, goodness no! Not old Lizzy Rose! That mare loves those boys even more than I do,” Medda chuckled. Jack gave a weak laugh back, his eyes turning back to the window. Charlie had backed Lizzy beneath the tree, and Les dropped from the tree onto her back, wrapping his arms around Charlie’s waist.

“How did you get those boys, if ya don’t mind my askin’?” Jack asked nervously. He wasn’t sure if this was something she would be comfortable talking about.

“Oh goodness! They’re all quite a tale.”

Jack held his breath, waiting.

“Well, Charlie was the first. I adopted him before I even knew who he was. A young teenage girls no used to live in this town had gotten pregnant out of wedlock. The parents wanted to take her to get an abortion, but I knew how risky those were. More women come out dead than alive. I told them I would take the baby when it was born.

“I couldn’t tell if I was doing the right thing or not. I was young, unmarried. But when they handed me that baby, I knew I had made the right choice. He had the sweetest little gold curls and big doe eyes. He was born with a bad leg, but that’s never stopped him. He’s been nothing but a ray of sunshine, not just for me, but for everyone around him. His mother left before he could ever properly meet her, but he wants to meet her one day.

“My next two, David and Les, were both brothers by blood. Their parents split when Les was just a baby. His father left, and since their mother was extremely sick, poor David and Sarah, who were seven at the time, were left to try and raise a baby by themselves.”

“Sarah?” Jack asked curiously.

“His twin sister. Their mother died not long after, and Sarah became sick too. David had to watch as his sister died, and there wasn’t anything he could do about it. I found him in the streets, trying to steal coins from my purse. I gave them a place to stay until I could figure out what to do with them, and goodness, you’ve never seen a child more curious than David! He asked constant questions about the world around him. He said he wanted to be a doctor when he grew up so that he could help those who were sick. I knew then that he deserved an education more than any boy I’d ever met. Somehow, those two boys wriggled their way into my heart, and ever since then, I haven’t let them go.

“Race, however, was a completely different story. His mother ran away when he was very young, and his father was an alcoholic. When he got drunk, he would hit Race over and over again until he was practically unconscious. He ran away one night, maybe when he was about four. He ran up to my door and begged for me to let him stay the night. Well, you know how I am, so of course I said yes.

“He ended up staying for a few months before I decided to take him too. I know it’s hard to believe, but for the first few weeks, Race was quieter than a church mouse! But he blossomed after a bit, with help from Charlie and sweet little Les and David. He even gained a bit of a mischievous streak! Nowadays,you almost never see him without Les by his side. Those two are inseparable!”

Her face darkened. “But I can’t keep alcohol in the house. If Race smells it or sees the bottle, he breaks down, the poor thing.”

Jack understood. After he had run away from his father, he had sworn never to drink a drop of whiskey or wine. He vowed he would never be anything like his father. Now, the smell of alcohol made him queasy and brought back flashbacks so strong it would leave him shaking.

“Mighty kind of ya to take ‘em in,” he mumbled.

“Well, it was just as much for me as it was for them. I get sad sometimes, because David’ll be going to college next year, and Charlie will follow soon after, and before I know it, all four of ‘em will be gone. But look at them!”

Jack looked out the window again. Les and Charlie had gotten off of Lizzy, and now Les was on Race’s back, chasing after Davey with a stick in his hand. Charlie leapt our and tackled Davey to the ground. All of them were sprawled on top of each other, shrieking with laughter and struggling.

A lump formed in Jack’s throat.

“As long as those boys are happy, I am too. I don’t care what they want in life.”


	2. Jack Sketches With Medda’s Boys

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack bonds more with Medda’s boys.
> 
> TW: None. Overwhelming fluff

“Lizzy can’t jump that!”

From the porch, Jack looked up from his sketchbook. Race was situated on Lizzy’s back, holding the reins in one hand, staring critically at the jump Les had set up. Six hay bales in rows of three were stacked on top of each other. 

“Can too! You’se just scared!” Les taunted. 

“I ain’t scared of nothin’!” Race yelled.

“Race, if you try to take her over that, you know she’ll refuse,” Charlie said. Davey and Charlie were sitting on the fence in a way that their feet were between the top two bars and they were resting their hands on the top rail. “Remember that time you tried to take her over those barrels? You had a black eye for weeks.”

“That was different! I didn’t have a bridle on her then. Now I do!” Race insisted. Lizzy turned her head towards the bales and let out an exasperated snort, and Jack grinned. He got the feeling that this was far from the first time Race had dragged her into his antics.

“Davey, help me out here!” Charlie groaned.

“Nah, I wanna see this. I missed the time with the barrels,” Davey chuckled.

“Table the palaver and do it, scaredy-cat!” Les yelled. Race gathered the reins and urged Lizzy into a trot. She picked up a smooth canter, and Race pointed her at the hay bales.

Right before them, Lizzy slid to a stop, sending Race flying forward. He practically dove over her neck and hit the hay bales, knocking them over. For a moment, he just laid there, dazed. Lizzy let out another snort and trotted away.

The other three boys were laughing so hard they were clutching their sides, gasping for breath.

“Why didn’t anyone stop me?!” Race snapped, which only made them laugh harder. Davey climbed out of the fence and jogged up to Lizzy, grabbing the reins and rubbing her neck affectionately.

“If I were you, I’d apologize to Lizzy,” Charlie giggled. Race shoved his shoulder, but he was fighting back a grin. 

“Oh, my lovely Lizzy Rose!” Race fell to his knees dramatically in front of the unimpressed mare. “Forgive me, most fair lady!”

Lizzy snuffed his blonde hair grudgingly, and Race grinned, rising up to wrap his arms around her and bury his face into her mane.

Jack returned to his drawing, a sketch of the yard sprawling in front of him. It wasn’t long before he felt someone looking over his shoulder. He turned to see Les staring at the sketchbook curiously.

“Whatcha drawing?”

Jack held it up so he could get a better look. Les gasped, grabbing it in his hands. “Wow! You know how to draw!” Jack laughed.

“Relax kid, ‘s just a bunch of trees and some fence.”

“Lemme see!”

Race was next to Les in an instant, grabbing the sketchbook and bringing it closer to his face. He let out a whistle.

“Holy hell! You’se got a gift here!”

“Be careful! Don’t rip his book!” Davey exclaimed, trying to take the book away. His eyes fell on the page, and he stopped.

“Wow! You really are good!”

Despite himself, Jack grinned. No one had ever shown interest in his art before. It made him feel a sense of pride that he’d never felt before.

“You should be a professional artist,” Charlie said, running his hand over the drawing before taking it from Davey’s hands and handing it back to Jack.

“That’s my dream. ‘S just that no one is interested in purchasing my art. ‘Sides, I’m not the best artist out there.”

“You could practice here! We got a lot of really great landscapes here! We could take you to them!” Les said excitedly. Jack chuckled, thinking he was only joking, but Les opened the door and yelled, “Medda! Can we take Jack out on a cart ride?”

“I expect you back by sunset! Go with your brothers! Take Lizzy! Be safe!” Medda yelled back. 

“Thanks!” Les yelled back. He shut the door and grabbed Jack’s hand, pulling him up from the chair. “C’mon! We gotta get the cart set up!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Before Jack knew it, he was sitting next to Davey on the cart, who was steering Lizzy as she jogged through the road in the forest. Race, Charlie, and Les were sitting on the back, feet dangling off the edge and chatting.

“Can’t we go any faster than this?” Race whined, flopping dramatically across Charlie’s lap. Davey rolled his eyes, but didn’t answer. Race blew a raspberry, which made Les laugh, and their conversation picked right back up.

“I’m sorry about them,” Davey said softly, “they can be a bit much at times.”

“Nah, I don’t mind it,” Jack said with a grin.

“You said you’re from New York? What’s it like there?”

A wave of painful memories hit him, but Jack shook his head, trying to think of the positives.

“Lots of big buildings. Rich, wealthy scholars. There’s people everywhere.”

“It must get crowded.”

“Well, if you’re from a place like here, I imagine you would feel very crowded in New York. You thinkin’ about goin’ to college there?”

“Maybe. I’m still trying to figure it out. But New York always seemed like this place where people got big opportunities.”

“It ain’t all it’s cracked up to be.”

Davey looked at him curiously, so Jack continued.

“People have got this crazy image that New York is the place where folks go to get rich. Truth is, it’s run by nothing but fat old men who are power hungry and will step on the backs of defenseless workers to get to the top. New York’s fine for folks who got a big, strong door to lock it out.”

“If it’s not too personal, is that why you ran away?”

Jack rubbed the back of his neck. “Um, well I suppose that was part of it.” Thankfully, Davey seemed to take the cue, and he changed the subject.

“How long have you been drawing for? You seem to have a lot of experience.”

Jack sighed with relief. “As long as I can remember. I like sketching the things around me. I mostly drew buildings and people.”

“Well, you’re really good.”

Jack chuckled. “The world doesn’t need another artist.”

“I disagree. The world needs artists just as much as scholars or scientists. All of them help us view our world through new eyes. And face it, with as much progress as we’ve made, we still have a long way to go. You’re gonna change the world one day. I believe it.”

Davey said it like it was so obvious. Jack had never met anyone who ever had faith in him like Davey seemed to. A warm feeling spread through his chest at the thought.

Finally, the trees broke. Davey pulled Lizzy to a stop in front of a sprawling field. The trees were casting a green light over sections throughout the field. A pond sat in the center, water glistening beneath the sun.

“Holy hell! This place is gorgeous!” Jack exclaimed, already pulling out his book. He saw Davey smile out of the corner of his eye before he hopped off the seat and began to unhitch Lizzy. Race and Les jumped down and sprinted to the pond, Charlie hobbling eagerly behind them. They stripped off their shoes and socks, rolled up their pants, and began to wade in the water.

Jack stayed on the cart, his hand moving the charcoal pencil eagerly over the page. Charlie, Les, and Race were trying to catch frogs with their hands, splashing each other with water and laughing. Davey was holding Lizzy and letting her graze on the grass. 

A sense of peace and warmth washed over Jack. It was nothing like he’d ever experienced.

When he was done with his drawing, he put it on the seat of the cart and jogged to the pond, pulling off his shoes and his socks and rolling up his pants to join them. The three boys let him into their game without question, splashing him and chasing after frogs.

When they had to leave, Davey hitched Lizzy back onto the cart and helped Les tie his shoes. Charlie asked if he could drive Lizzy home, and Davey agreed. So Jack sat in the back with Race and Les while Davey and Charlie rode in the front.

At one point, Jack took out his sketchbook again to draw the image of their feet dangling off the back of the cart, and Les leaned his head on his shoulder to watch. Jack could barely stop the grin that spread across his face.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The sun was turning the sky pink by the time they reached the house. Jack helped unhitch and put away Lizzy before going inside the house. Dinner was chaotic as usual, and as they boys slunk to bed, Jack stayed behind with Medda to help clean up.

“I hope you had fun today, honey. I hope they didn’t drag you into anything.”

“No, not at all, Miss Medda. They were saint-like,” Jack reassured her. Medda smiled.

“Good. They like you, Jack. If you’re not careful, they may never be able to let you go.”

Jack laughed. “With all due respect, Miss Medda, that would be the best thing that’s happened to me in a while.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There’ll be more of a plot later 😂 I just wanted to have some fluff.


	3. Jack Moves Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack finally gets a job and has to move out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: None

It was about a week into is stay that Jack finally got a job offer.

He had developed a bit of a routine by then. When Medda left for work and the boys left for school, he would go into town to try and find a job. One man offered him a job in his shop where he would help restock shelves. He said he would take it, but he had to wait another week before he could start. That was fine with Jack, as the hours weren’t that long and the pay was good. The man even offered him the apartment above the store, which he said he would take.

He told Medda and the boys at dinner that night. The reaction was mostly positive, but Les was so upset that he stormed from the table and slammed the door. A collective groan rose up from Charlie, Race, and Davey. Jack furrowed his brow in confusion, and Medda clicked her tongue sympathetically. “Poor thing’s grown so attached to you. He was hoping you’d never find a job.”

“You won’t be too far away though! Town’s only a twenty minute cart ride away. If you don’t mind, we could come visit every day,” Charlie said with a smile. Charlie’s attitude was almost infectious. The mood around the table lightened a little.

“Of course! I would love if ya came to visit,” Jack said.

“You aren’t going to stop drawing, are you?” Jack turned to Davey, who promptly blushed and ducked his head. Jack grinned, ruffling Davey’s hair playfully.

“Course not! Not as long as you keep me going!” Jack saw Davey smile.

“Ya have to visit us too!” Race said indignantly. “We’ve got lots of places to show ya still!”

“Race, don’t pressure Jack! We’re all gonna miss him,” Medda scolded lightly. Jack dismissed it with a wave of his hand.

“Don’t worry about it, Miss Medda. Hangin’ out with you folks ‘s always a pleasure.”

Medda reached across the table, and gave Jack’s hand a firm squeeze. “I’m gonna miss you, Jack Kelly. You’ve been nothin’ but a saint since we first met.” Jack ducked his head, but squeezed back. Medda took her hand away, then gestured to the stairs. “Now, if I were you, I’d go up and comfort poor Les. He’s gonna miss you.”

Jack nodded, wiping his mouth on the napkin before plodding up the stairs. The family tucked back into their supper, but Jack could have sworn he saw Davey looking after him on the way up the stairs.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He heard sniffling behind one of the doors, so he knocked.

“Go away!” Les yelled.

“Easy kid, ‘s just me.”

There was a pause. Jack went ahead and opened the door. 

He had never seen any of the boy’s rooms before. There were two beds, one on each side of the room. Les was sprawled across the one on the right, rubbing at his eyes.

“You share a room with someone?” Jack asked curiously. Les sniffled and nodded.

“Me and Charlie share this room. I used to sleep with Race, but we kept waking people up, so now Race sleeps in Davey’s room.”

Jack chuckled despite himself.

“Please don’t leave! I don’t want you to!”

Jack crossed over to Les’s bed and sat on the edge. In an instant, Les had scrambled into his lap as if it were second nature, tucking his head beneath Jack’s chin and clutching his shirt. Unsure of what else to do, Jack places his arms around Les and squeezed slightly.

“I’ll be real good if you stay! I’ll never call Race a scaredy-cat ever again!”

Jack bit back a smile.

“As much as I would love to, I gotta make my own way in the world. Can’t be a famous artist if I stay here eating your food and sleeping in your beds now, can I?”

“Why does everyone want to leave?”

Jack paused, waiting.

“Davey wants to leave and go to college. Charlie’s gonna get married and have his own kids. Race’s gonna leave soon too. Now you’re leaving. You’re all gonna forget all about me, and I’m gonna be all alone.”

“Where on earth did you get that idea?!”

Les sniffled pitifully.

“Don’t matter none how many kids Charlie’s gonna have, or how successful Davey’s gonna be, or whatever Race wants to do with his life. They ain’t gonna forget about you. And I won’t be far away. You can still come visit, and you can bet you bottom dollar that I’ll be comin’ over too. No matter what, you’se gonna have me around. No one is forgetting about anyone.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

He ruffled Les’ hair, and Les gave a watery laugh.

“Come back downstairs and finish eating. Ya family is worried ‘bout ya.”

Les nodded, climbing out of his lap and heading for the door.

“And Les?”

Les stopped, turning back to Jack.

“If that’s really how you feel, you should talk to your brothers ‘bout it. They wouldn’t want you to feel this way.”

Les nodded before running out the door and back down into the dining room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Really, Miss Medda, this is all too much-“

“Nonsense! Now, are you sure you don’t need another quilt, sugar? I don’t want you getting too cold in the winter.”

The day came for Jack to move out, and the whole house was bustling. Race had dug up an old suitcase that they claimed to have no use for anyway, and now Medda, Race, and Charlie were scattered throughout the house, trying to find items to fill it with. Davey was outside, hitching Lizzy to the cart. Les was pouting in a corner, arms folded, occasionally sticking out his foot to trip Race until Race finally learned his lesson and stopped walking near Les.

Jack ruffled his hair in an attempt to cheer him up, which seemed to work, as Les swatted his hand away with a small smile. He threw Les a wink before jogging up the stairs.

After a while longer, the suitcase was finally loaded and secured down in the cart. Jack shook hands with Race and Charlie, ruffled Les’ hair one last time, then climbed up into the cart next to Davey.

“Come right back as soon as you drop him off, alright Davey? You know how I feel about you being in town all by yourself,” Medda said. Davey gathered up the reins, nodding, before clicking his tongue. Lizzy set off at a steady trot, jerking the cart forward and making Jack grab onto Davey’s arm to keep steady. Once the initial shock was over, the cart moved smoothly out of the yard and onto the dirt road leading to town.

Charlie stayed by the gate and waved, but Race and Les jogged behind the cart waving and yelling final goodbyes until Medda yelled at them to come back.

Jack turned so that he was facing forwards again, and he noticed that Davey was grinning.

“What?”

“Nothing. They seem to like you a lot, is all.”

“Jealous?” Jack teased, elbowing Davey playfully. Davey bumped him back.

“Nah. If anything, I pity you. You know every time you come to visit, they’re never gonna leave you alone.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“Says the man who’s only lived with them for two weeks!”

Jack laughed. “I’m guessing part of the reason is having to share a room with Race?”

“Don’t make fun of me! It takes a certain type of person to survive rooming with him. Have you heard him snore?” Davey says with mock seriousness. 

“I don’t think he’s that bad!”

“Oh, I have lots of stories about Race. Do you know how I got this?” Davey pointed to the scar above his eyebrow. Jack tried to bite back his smile and shook his head.

“Race got bored one night. So he decided it would be funny to jump on me while I was sleeping. Scared me so bad I fell out of bed and busted my eyebrow on the bedside table!”

Davey was smiling, so Jack took it as a cue that it was okay to laugh. Talking with Davey was easy, natural.

“You ever let Race steer the cart? You let Charlie do it.”

Davey rolled his eyes. “I taught Charlie how to work it, yes. He’s still pretty new at it, but unlike Race, he has a good head on his shoulders.” Davey suddenly blinked, face lighting up, as if he had an idea. “Do you wanna try?”

“Try driving this thing?”

“Yes.”

“What are the chances of me wrecking it?”

“Pretty low. Lizzy will stop if things get too out of hand.”

“Then why not?”

Davey grinned, pulling Lizzy gently to a halt and handing Jack the reins. Jack fumbled with them, trying to imitate the position that Davey was holding them in. After a few moments of this, Davey suddenly took Jack’s hands in his, weaving the reins between his fingers gently and squeezing Jack’s fingers closed over the reins. 

Davey’s hands were warm and gentle, not soft like the hands of rich people, but they weren’t rough like his, Jack noticed. There was a callous between his right index and middle finger from holding a pen. 

Davey clicked his tongue, and Lizzy took off at the trot again, jerking the cart forward. Davey didn’t remove his hands from Jack’s.

After a bit, with occasional pointers from Davey, Davey took his hands away, letting Jack steer the cart by himself. Even still, the memory of Davey’s hands on his lingered.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When they reached the shop, Davey helped Jack carry his things up to the apartment in the attic and helped him unpack. 

“Gonna be awfully quiet here,” Jack said wistfully. Davey grinned, patting his shoulder.

“Not for long. As soon as school lets out, I’m taking the cart back up here with Race and Charlie and Les. Then it’ll be noisy again.”

“Only for a bit. And it won’t be the same.”

Davey shook his head, a fond smile on his face. “I will never fully understand you, Jack Kelly.”

Jack watched out the window as Davey climbed back up into the seat of the cart and urged Lizzy forward. He kept watching until the cart faded into the distance.


	4. Race’s Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys come to visit Jack in his store. Race talks about what he wants to do in life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: None

“Of course you need a new coat, darling! Winter is coming soon, and the weather is beginning to get colder.”

Jack looked up from the cash register. An extremely wealthy-looking man was standing next to a young woman, who was wearing an expensive-looking lavender dress and shoes, and who’s bright red hair was tied up beneath her hat.

“No, Father. My old coat is just fine. I don’t need a new one. There are other things I would much rather spend my money on.”

“Katherine! I do hope you don’t mean more books or ink!”

The lady, Katherine, Jack guessed, turned away, embarrassed. Her father sighed.

“Katherine, you are coming of age. It’s nearly time to start looking for a husband. If I were you I would start looking now. What about that boy that I always see you with during school?”

“You can’t possibly mean David?!”

Jack nearly jumped. Was it the same David he knew? He tried to picture David and Katherine together, but found he couldn’t.

“Well, who else would I mean? You seem to like him, and he’s rather handsome. I suppose you would have to learn to deal with his… pestiferous brothers.”

“I could never marry David. I’ve never loved him. And his brothers are hardly as bad as you make them out to be!”

Her father made a disapproving noise, but she kept talking.

“David doesn’t want to be married. And If I were to be perfectly honest, I don’t think I will ever marry either. Father, if we got married, we would be miserable!”

The man opened his mouth as if to speak, but his head jerked to the window when he heard yelling.

“Jack! Jack!”

David was outside, tying Lizzy to a post. Charlie was jumping out the back of the cart, picking up his crutch, while Les and Race were waving through the window, yelling Jack’s name. Jack felt a smile grow on his face as he waved back.

“Goodness, those boys need some discipline,” the man muttered as they practically sprinted into the shop.

“Heya Jack! Do ya miss us?” Les asked, climbing over the counter and letting Jack pick him up.

“‘Course I do! Shop’s too quiet without ya,” Jack laughed. Race jumped up and sat on the counter, grabbing a newspaper, and opening it. He swung his legs onto the counter so that he could lean back on the cash register and stretch his legs out in front of him.

“Jack!” Charlie hobbled into the shop, face bright. Jack came around the counter to help, but much to Jack’s surprise, Charlie dropped his crutch and hugged Jack. “That’s from Medda,” Charlie said when he pulled back, still smiling from ear to ear. Jack grinned. “Well, be sure to give her one from me too. Tell her ta come visit me!”

He lead Charlie to a chair behind the counter so that he could sit.

Davey walked in not long after, and did a double take when he saw Katherine.

“Hello, David,” Katherine said softly.

“Katherine! It’s good to see you here.” He went in for a hug, but Katherine stopped him, pointing to her father. David seemed to understand because he stopped and shoved his hands into his pockets.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Pulitzer,” he mumbled.

“Afternoon, David. Come along, Katherine. We’ve done our purchases for the day.” Katherine shot Davey and apologetic look over her shoulder as her father dragged her out, and David shrugged in response.

As soon as they were out the door, Race burst out laughing.

“Shut up, Race! And don’t put your feet up on the counter,” Davey snapped, shoving Race on the side of the head.

“Careful, Dave! If Pulitzer sees you touchin’ me, he might try to make us get married!” Race laughed, swatting Davey’s hand away. Davey let out a snort.

“With all due respect, Race, I’d rather hang myself than marry you.”

“Well, you are one of the rare ones.” Race smirked, turning back to the newspaper. His face lit up. “Hey! Another national horse-racing tour is being launched from New York!”

“When’s it comin’ here?” Charlie asked, hopping over awkwardly to read over Race’s shoulder. Les scrambled onto the counter as well, trying to push Charlie away to see.

“Aw! Not ‘til after winter! That’s so far away!” Race groaned. Les sighed in frustration, climbing back down. 

“Won’t be that long. It’ll be October next week. Besides, no one wants to race horses in the snow,” Charlie said, hopping back to his chair.

“It’d be a grand life to be a horse racer,” Race said dreamily. “Traveling the country, seein’ new sights. No old men tellin’ ya to slow down or learn some manners. If you’re successful, you can make thirty dollars a week in the business!”

“You’re crazy,” Charlie giggled.

“How so? Maybe I want a more interesting life than you or Davey. Maybe I crave somethin’ more exciting!”

“Won’t it ever get tiring? Moving from place to place? Don’t you ever want to settle down? What if you want to get married? Do you think your wife would want to travel constantly?” Charlie wasn’t being condescending, he was just curious.

“Well, I don’t know if I wanna marry. No girl’s ever caught my eye. And if I got married, it would have to be someone who would wanna go on adventures with me. I could never marry someone like Davey.”

“Race!”

They all laughed when Davey tried to smack Race on the back of the head.

“Have ya ever tried racing a horse?” Jack asked. Race snorted.

“‘Course not. Ya need a horse for that.”

“We have Lizzy!” Les whined. Race put down the newspaper and gave him a look.

“Ya honestly think that if Lizzy went up against those giant thoroughbreds she would actually win?”

“Lizzy is no racehorse,” Davey admitted.

“Lizzy’s the best horse in the world!” 

“Of course she is!” Charlie said reassuringly. “She’s the finest horse in town.”

“Not for racin’ she ain’t!” Race said,

“Well, you aren’t exactly an idealrider either. You barely have any meat on your bones! No muscle!” Davey teased, pinching Race’s arm. Race swatted his hand away, grinning.

“Aw, let a fella dream! Can’t ya hear it?!” Race stood on the counter, waving his arms in excitement. “The famous! The wonderful! Race the racing champion! Why, I’d be in every pape in America! So rich I’d pay for Davey’s college and every fine piece of clothing Charlie’s wife desired and still have money leftova for me and Les!” 

“If ya fall off the counter and die, you’ll make all the papes in town,” Charlie laughed. Race stuck out his tongue at him before jumping down.

“Well, I think it sounds like a great idea,” Jack said with a grin. He reached forward and patted Race on the shoulder. “If ya ever race a horse, I’ll be the first one there.” Race blinked in surprise, his eyes glancing down at the hand on his shoulder. He smiled though. 

“Thanks, Jack! You’re a real pal.”

Davey glanced at the clock in the corner of the shop. “We should probably get going. Medda’s gonna get worried if we stay here too long.”

“No!” Les whined. “Let’s stay here! Jack’ll let us share his bed!” Jack snorted, trying to imagine cramming all five of them into his small bed upstairs.

“Don’t go givin’ Davey no trouble, ya understand? I’ll be visiting real soon. Here.” Jack reached up to one of the shelves and pulled out four pieces of rock candy. He handed them to Les, who’s face lit up. “Hand those out to ya brothers on the way back. Tell Medda I miss her. Now go on, I got payin’ customers to serve.” He ruffled Les’ hair with a grin before giving him one last hug.

“Here’s ya pape,” Race said holding it out. Jack considered for a moment before shrugging.

“You can keep it. Now get outta here ‘fore my boss sees me givin’ you folks free stuff.” He had a feeling his boss wouldn’t mind too much, but he didn’t want to risk it.

He hugged Charlie again, playfully pushed Race off the counter, and turned to shake hands with Davey. Davey hugged him instead too, and Jack distinctly notes the scent of soap and old paper on his skin.

“We’ll be back tomorrow. You sure this is okay? I don’t want to intrude too much on your kindness.”

Jack chuckled. “Don’t worry ‘bout it at all. You folks practically saved my life. That ain’t somethin’ I’m gonna forget anytime soon.”

He watched as they boys climbed into the cart, chattering excitedly. Les handed out the candies as Davey untied Lizzy and climbed back up into the driver’s seat. They were gone within minutes.

Jack dusted off the counter with a smile before grabbing a crate. He had to restock the shelves of thread.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unfortunately, the next chapter won’t be quite so sweet...


	5. Davey’s Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Race gets sick, and this sends Davey back to the dark days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Suicidal thoughts/feelings, mentions of a possible suicide attempt.

Jack came to visit often. He became more comfortable around Medda and the boys, and found he was more comfortable touching them and being touched. The weather may have been getting steadily colder, but the warmth in Jack’s chest was growing. 

Jack began to sketch them. He wanted to catch the little things; the shape of Davey’s hands, Charlie’s bright smile, the mischievous glint in Race’s eyes, the sight of Les running up to him for a hug. He drew Medda while she cooked or Lizzy when she was hooked up to the cart. He decided that he wanted to draw a family portrait for them as a gift. He set to work almost immediately.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

One day, Medda came to visit him at his shop with news. “I’m so sorry to ask this if you, Jack. But I have to be out of town for two weeks, and I know that Davey can take care of the boys, but I would feel much better if you would check up on them everyday. They would come here straight after school and if you could escort them home, Davey can drive you back here in the morning. It would just make me feel more at ease if I knew you were looking after them.”

“Course, Miss Medda. I’d be happy ta help. “ Jack reassured her. Medda smiled at this, giving him an affectionate pat on the cheek in thanks.

She left not long after, telling the boys to take care of each other and to get Jack if they needed anything.

For the first few days, it was okay. They came to Jack’s shop every day, and brought Jack home each night. 

But then they didn’t show up one day.

Jack tried to shake it off, reassuring himself that maybe they had just forgotten. But then they didn’t show up the next day either. By the third day, Jack was ready to run to their house to figure out what was happening.

But there was no need to do that. Before his shift was done, Charlie pulled up in the cart, looking panicked.

“Jack! Jack! Please, we need help!”

Jack practically ran outside. His boss, Jacob, followed close behind, a concerned look on his face.

“What happened?! Charlie, what the hell is going on?!”

“It’s Race! H-he got real sick. Jack, I think he’s dying! And Davey’s not himself, so everyone is panicking and just-“

“Easy, kid! Slow down,” Jack turned to Jacob, who looked grave.

“Does Race have a sore throat? Or a rash? A fever?” Jacob asked. Charlie nodded.

“He’s got all of ‘em. Jack, he’s burning up! We don’t know-“

“Scarlet fever. Race has scarlet fever,” Jacob said gravely. Jack felt his stomach drop. He was no stranger to scarlet fever. He had it for a while, and it was hell the whole time.

“Jack, you can leave early. Take off as many days as you need. Lemme get you some medicine.” Jack climbed into the cart while Jacob ran inside the shop. He came out with a small, black bottle and handed it to Jack.

“Give it to him. One spoon a day at most. Take care.” Jack nodded gratefully, determined to make it up to Jacob one day. Charlie urged Lizzy forward, and she set off at a brisk trot, much faster than she normally went, as if she could sense trouble.

“What happened? How did this start?” Jack demanded. Charlie was pale, clutching the reins too hard.

“Well, Race said he wasn’t feelin’ too good. So Davey put his hand on Race’s forehead and said he had a little fever. He told Race to go lie down, but Race didn’t get better. He started burning up real bad, and this weird red rash spread all over his skin, and he couldn’t talk no more. Davey hasn’t slept since. He ain’t himself, Jack.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Well, you know Davey. He’s always the calm one, the one that keeps us in line. Well, he got all panicky, and it scared me and Les half to death. I didn’t know what else to do ‘cept come get you.”

When they reached the house, Jack could hear Les crying. He ran inside while Charlie unhooked Lizzy. In an instant, Les was throwing his arms around Jack, sobbing and clinging to him.

“Race’s gonna die! Jack, Race is dying!”

“No one’s dying, Les. It’s gonna be okay.” Jack squeezed Les gently. “Where’s Race?”

“In his bedroom with Davey,” Les sniffled. Jack gave him one last hug before hurrying up the stairs, the bottle of medicine clutched in his hand.

Race was lying on his bed. His skin was almost translucent, except for the places where the rash stood out starkly against his skin, red and angry. He seemed to be in a strange coma between being awake and asleep, sweating profusely. But despite the sweat, he was shivering as if cold, lips cracked and eyes glassy.

Davey looked almost as bad. There were dark circles under his eyes, which were bloodshot. His hair was messy and uncombed, shirt wrinkled and his hands shaking as he patted a wet cloth against Race’s forehead. His breathing was erratic and uneven, clearly panicking but having no idea what else to do.

“Jack! Thank God!” Davey tried to stand, but he promptly collapsed on the ground.

“Easy, Dave! Sit down for a minute!” Jack helped Davey to get up, shepherding him to his own bed and sitting him down there before crossing over to Race. A hand on his forehead confirmed what Charlie had said. Race was hot to the touch.

“This can’t be happening… not again… not again,” Davey was mumbling, running his hand through his hair.

Jack felt his eyebrows furrow in confusion. Again?

_ “Their mother died not long after, and Sarah became sick too. David had to watch as his sister died, and there wasn’t anything he could do about it.” _

Medda’s words rang painfully in Jack’s ears. He crossed back over to Davey and crushed him against his chest. Davey clung to him like he was a lifeline, as if he needed Jack to stay grounded.

“You ain’t losin’ anyone. Okay? We’re gonna help Race get through.” He felt Davey nod, and before he could stop himself, he pressed a kiss into Davey’s hair. He didn’t know why, it was more of an instinct than anything else. Davey didn’t react. If anything, it seemed to relax him, because he took a deep, shuddering breath.

“Let’s change the sheets. I’ll pick him up out of the bed and you can change ‘em, alright? It’ll make Race feel a bit more comfortable.” Davey nodded, pulling away slowly and wiping his eyes before leaving the room. Jack pulled the covers off of Race. Race let out a groan, curling in on himself. He lifted Race from the bed, ignoring his burning skin. Davey was quick, and as soon as the fresh sheets were on the bed, Jack lowered Race back onto them, tucking him beneath the quilts.

“Alright. Let’s brew some tea ta help with his throat. Some soup would be nice too, just to get somethin’ in his body.”

Davey nodded, quietly heading down to the kitchen. Jack wanted to force Davey to lie down and sleep, but he knew that would only distress Davey, and the only way to help Davey calm down was to let him help. So Jack let him help with making the soup and tea, and he let Davey sit and watch while he gently spoon-fed Race the soup, and once Race had some strength back, Jack helped him hold the teacup up to his lips to drink.

The medicine made Race drowsy, and before they knew it, Race was fast asleep, snoring softly.

Davey let out a sigh of relief, sagging down as if tired of supporting his own weight.

“You okay?” Jack asked softly. Davey let out something that faintly resembled a chuckle, but there was no humor in his panicked eyes.

“I’m gonna be okay.”

“That’s not what I was askin’.”

Davey pulled his knees up to his chest, his eyes going blank.

“Then I suppose no. I’m not okay.” His voice was small, fragile.

Jack stayed silent, waiting. He knew that pushing Davey to keep talking wouldn’t bode well, so he just remained silent, letting Davey decide for himself.

“I’ve always had to be the strong one. Medda told you about how I got here, right?” Jack nodded, and Davey continued. “I was the head of the family when my dad left. Mom was devastated, and she practically locked herself up in her room. Sarah and I-“ He swallowed back tears at the mention of his lost sister. “Sarah and I had to take care of Les. I found money by stealing, but it was never enough. Sarah and I would cry because our stomachs hurt so much at night.”

Jack was reminded painfully of his hunger pains. His father spent all his money on liquor, and no matter how much money Jack made at his work, there was never enough left over to feed himself. At night, his stomach felt like thousands of razor blades were tearing up his insides. Since moving into this new town, he had thankfully never experienced another hungry night, but the memories were still there, sharp and clear.

“When Mom became sick, it only got worse. I had to grow up pretty fast. At only eight, I had to raise a baby, provide enough income to feed a family of four, and help care for an ailing mother. I wanted so badly for it all to be over. I wanted to end it. There was this gun that my father had that he left in a drawer in the house. One night, I took it out with the intention to shoot myself and end my misery, once and for all. But I couldn’t. I couldn’t condemn my family to a life without me.”

Davey was crying openly now, rocking back and forth, but he didn’t stop talking, almost as if he was relieved to get it all out in the open.

“So my mother died, and I just remember feeling so lost. Sarah and Les were all I had. Then Sarah got sick, and no matter what I did, she was slipping away from me. I was holding her hand when she died. She had these big, scared eyes. She was crying when she died, though from fear or pain or both, I’ll never know.

“And suddenly, it was just me and Les. I got more desperate. I didn’t normally try to swipe stuff from purses because it’s too easy to be caught, but I felt like I didn’t have a choice. It was either that or starve. That’s how Medda caught me. I thought she would send me to the police, but she didn’t. She brought me home with her.

“And suddenly, my world was expanding. It wasn’t just Les anymore. It was Charlie, then Medda, then Race after a bit. Lizzy and Katherine. You. I found hope again. I didn’t have to worry about where my next meal would come from. I wasn’t alone.

“But then Race got sick, and I know it’s probably an overreaction, but all I could think about was that I was losing everything all over again. I was falling back into the mindset I had before Medda saved me. Race just kept getting worse and there was nothing I could do-“

Jack crossed over the room, sitting down next to Davey.

“Can I touch you?”

Davey nodded tearfully, and Jack lifted the wet cloth that he was going to use for Race to wipe the tear stains from his cheeks. Davey shut his tired eyes, leaning into the contact.

“Dave, I know it don’t feel like it when you’re watching a family member die or when you want to just end everything or when you can’t make enough money to feed your family, but you’re strong. One of the strongest people I know. I’m not saying that sufferin’ through the stuff you did was essential to making you so, but you need to know that, alright?”

He nodded.

“And you don’t have to be strong, at least not right now. The worst is over, Dave. Things’ll get better for ya, I know it. You’se got a family who loves ya, and from what I here, ya got plans to be some big-fancy doctor, which knowing you, will be a piece of cake! And I watch ya when I’m over, ya know. Ya got a heart of gold, and even if you don’t always show it, ya believe in those guys, and that means the world ta them. It meant the world to me to hear ya tell me my art mattered and that I was makin’ a difference. You are smart and strong and you believe in people when no one else will. The world tried its hardest, and it couldn’t break ya. Now it’s tryin’ ta break ya again. Only this time, Davey, there are people willing to fight for you. Medda, Charlie, Race Les, and me. Ya don’t have ta fight alone no more, y’hear?”

Davey was looking at him, dazed. But he nodded, pulling Jack in for a hug and bunching up Jack’s shirt in his fists as a fresh wave of tears washed over him.

“Easy there, Dave. You must be exhausted. Have you slept at all?”

Davey gave a watery laugh, shaking his head.

“Lay down. You’ll feel better after some sleep. I’ll worry about Race.”

Jack pulled the covers back, and Davey practically collapsed into his mattress, his eyes already falling shut. Jack tucked the blanket around him more firmly before getting up and crossing over to a desk on the other side of the room. He could hear Davey’s soft breathing when he fell asleep, head resting on his arms on the desk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel kinda bad, but I want to explore more into the trauma of Medda’s boys.


	6. Three Wakings in One Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack wakes up and has to take care of the boys.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: None. This is just a little filler 😂

Jack awoke with a pain in his neck and a sore back. He sat up groggily, rubbing his eyes and trying to refocus them.

“Jack? When did you get here?”

Jack yawned, turning around sleepily. Davey was still fast asleep, but Race was propped up on the pillows, pale and sickly, but alert.

“Few hours ago,” he replied, standing up and stretching. 

“Thought I only dreamed you were here,” Race mumbled. Jack chuckled, shaking his head.

“How ya feelin’?”

“Hungry.”

Jack placed his hand back on Race’s forehead, and to his relief, his forehead was cooling down, now only warm instead of searing hot.

“Do ya feel strong enough to stand? I can take you down to the kitchen and get ya somethin’ ta eat.”

“I think so.”

“Okay. Careful not ta wake Davey.”

Race nodded, gingerly throwing off the blankets and standing up. He was shaking a bit, so Jack put an arm around his shoulder to support him. Race’s cheeks were red, most likely from the lingering fever.

They crept down the stairs and found Charlie and Les, curled up on the sofa together. When one of the stairs creaked, Charlie stirred, blinking sleepily and raising his head.

“Race?”

“Heya, Charlie!”

Jack shushed Race softly, leading him to the armchair by the fireplace. He found the chest by the fireplace filled with folded homemade quilts of various soft colors and fabrics. He threw one over Charlie and Les.

“Go back ta sleep. ‘S still the middle of the night.”

Charlie was already nodding off, letting his head drop and pulling Les closer. When they were asleep, Jack threw a few more quilts over Race and headed into the kitchen. He cut a slice of bread and reheated the tea on the stove. He came back into the room and handed Race the bread, placing the cup of tea on a small table next to him.

“Is Davey okay?” Race asked, taking a bite. “He seemed really… off.”

“He was real worried about ya. Don’t worry ‘bout it right now.”

Race finished the bread, reaching for the cup of tea. “I feel better. In a few days, I’ll be good as new.”

“Well, that’s good ta hear.”

“Will you be leavin’ soon?”

“Not ‘Til Medda comes back, probably. I need ta tell her what happened.”

“What about your job?”

“You let me worry ‘bout that, ya hear?”

Race nodded. He had finished the tea, and his eyes were starting to slip shut. Jack pulled the blankets around him more firmly. “Go ta sleep. Rest ya body. Ya still gotta long way to go before it’s back to normal.”

“Kay.”

Race nodded off, and Jack curled up on the carpet, pulling a spare quilt over him and falling asleep to the sound of the various sounds of people breathing softly in the room and the crackling of the fire.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jack woke up with a sore body. Apparently sleeping on the hardwood floor did nothing for a man’s back. There was a distinct feeling of warmth against his back, and he turned over to find Davey sleeping beside him, back turned and head resting on a couch pillow. The sun was coming through the window, casting the living room in a golden glow. Race made a few noises in his sleep, pulling a quilt over his face to try and block out the sun.

Jack got up slowly, crossing over and pulling the curtains shut. He glanced around the room. Charlie and Les were still on the couch together, snuggled firmly under the blanket. Race was on the armchair, the quilt covering his face, but not doing much to muffle his snores. Davey was on the floor, although Jack had no idea how he got there. 

Jack yawned, heading to the kitchen to start making breakfast. He tried his best to keep the clanging pot noises and the sound of his cooking as quiet as possible. He brewed another pot of tea for Race and was trying to make eggs but struggling.

“Need some help?”

Jack turned to see Davey in the doorway. He looked like he desperately needed a change of clothes or a comb run through his hair, but at the very least the dark circles were gone and so were his bloodshot eyes.

“Did I wake ya? Didn’t mean to.”

“Eh, don’t worry about it. Got a really good amount of sleep.”

“You feelin’ any better?”

Davey chuckled, embarrassed. “Yeah. Seeing Race getting better helped a lot. And you did too.”

“That’s good. Here, come help me out.”

Davey seemed relieved by the change of subject, coming up to the stove and taking the pan from Jack.

“Ya know, ya can always talk to me. No matter what.” Jack tried to meet Davey’s eyes while he said this, but Davey didn’t look at him.

“I know. Having someone to talk to is really nice.”

Davey shot him a smile, finally looking up. The sun made his pale skin almost glow and brought out the green in his hazel eyes. Jack patted him on the back, looking at the pan.

“You’se clearly a lot betta at this than me.”

“I’ve had to cook for them a lot longer than you have.”

“I’ll give ya that,” Jack laughed. “Why don’t you go and change? Tidy up a bit ‘fore everyone else wakes up.”

Davey blinked, looking down at his clothes as if just realizing how much of a mess he really was.

“Yeah, I need to do that. Thanks, Jacky.”

_ Jacky. _

Jack stood, slightly stunned as Davey hurried away and up the stairs. It was such a simple nickname. It had rolled off his tongue like it was nothing. The funny thing was that Jack was fairly certain that if anyone else had done it, he wouldn’t have been as flattered and touched.

He shook his head, trying to clear it, before heading back to the living room. He folded up the quilt from the floor and placed in back in the chest. The think of the lid caused the three still-sleeping boys to rouse, stretching and blinking the tiredness from their eyes.

“Race! You’re okay!”

Les scrambled out of Charlie’s arms and straight into Race’s, who let out a yelp of shock when Les practically dove beneath the quilts and cuddled up next to him. Nevertheless, a smile graced his features.

“Y’all miss little ol’ me? Gee, I’m touched!”

Charlie was smiling as well, picking up the quilt on the couch and folding it as well. Jack took it from his hands.

“Can’t thank you enough, Jack. You got us out of a pinch here. Is Davey okay?” Charlie asked, reaching for his crutch and pulling himself up.

“Davey’s doin’ fine. Breakfast is in the kitchen. Race, there’s more tea for ya if ya need it. Don’t burn anything down, ya hear?”

“No promises!” Race laughed, dodging the playful shove from Jack and hurrying to the kitchen, the quilts billowing behind him like a cape. Les was close behind him, but Charlie pulled Jack in for a hug before hobbling into the kitchen.

Exhausted, Jack flopped onto the couch, wincing when parts of his body burst out into a dull pain. He would just rest his eyes for a few moments…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jack woke up to the feeling of a gentle hand smoothing his hair away from his forehead and a quilt over his body. He made a noise, eyes moving blearily, opening them to find Davey leaning over him, eyes bright and gentle. His hair was neater, his clothing no longer wrinkled, the sun causing his skin to almost glow.

“Could get used to waking up like this,” Jack mumbled sleepily. Davey gave him a confused look, but smiled nonetheless. Jack snapped out of it, realizing that he had most definitely fallen asleep and left the boys to fend for themselves. 

“How long have I been asleep?!”

“Only an hour or so. Don’t worry, Katherine came by. She’s been helping me with the younger ones. Race is doing well, just a little weak.”

“Katherine?”

Davey nodded, taking his hand away from Jack’s forehead and gesturing to the other side of the room. Jack turned to see the woman from the shop. There was no denying that Katherine was a very pretty woman. She wasn’t wearing a hat this time, her long, red hair falling past her shoulders. Her dress was a dark blue with a tiny row of pearl buttons down the front and a pear brooch at the collar. The dark blue brought out her ivory skin, the kind that ladies in New York tried so hard to achieve with gloves and hats and creams. Her waist was tiny, no doubt from the help of a corset.

“Hello, Jack. Davey’s told me so much about you,” she said softly. Jack nodded in greeting.

“Anyhow, Davey I really need to get home. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“Does your father know you’re here?” Davey asked, getting up from the couch. Katherine let out a bitter laugh.

“Unfortunately, yes. I think Father was hoping something more exciting would happen.”

They laughed, and Jack felt a tightness in his chest.

“Do you need me to walk you home?” Davey asked, reaching for Katherine’s coat. He helped her slip into it as Katherine spoke.

“No, I’m alright. You are coming back to school on Monday though, right? It’s awfully lonely without you. I think you scare people, because people wouldn’t leave me alone when you weren’t around.”

Davey chuckled at this. “Yes, if everything goes well, I’ll be back at school on Monday. I may need your help catching up on what I’ve missed though.”

“Of course!” Katherine was putting on a straw hat, tying the blue ribbon beneath her chin. “Take care, Davey!” She pulled him into a hug before leaving. The tightness returned in Jack, and it was then that he realized how…  _ jealous  _ he was of Katherine.

  
  



	7. Christmas Dance at Pulitzer’s

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Christmas dance at Pulitzer’s estate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This kinda sucks, but if I let myself get too insecure I’ll never post again 😂 hooray for anxiety!
> 
> TW: None

“Check!”

“No it ain’t!”

“Yeah it is, Les. Y’see?”

“This game makes no sense!”

Jack chuckled, ruffling Les’s hair. The boys had settled down for a game of chess, waiting for Medda to arrive. She was going to be home any minute now, and they were trying to keep their minds busy while they waited. All of them were sprawled on the floor of the living room, Les sitting in Jack’s crossed legs, Charlie leaning up against the couch, and Race lying down with his head in Davey’s lap, watching as Davey moved pieces across the board.

Race and Davey seemed to have grown closer in a way. While they never sat down and explicitly talked about their feelings, Jack noticed little things. Davey didn’t seem to be nearly as annoyed with Race’s shenanigans, and almost seemed to take Race more firmly under his wing. One night when he was checking on the boys before he went to sleep, he found Race was sleeping in Davey’s bed, though their backs were turned to one another. There was a sense that they were trying to comfort one another, subtly, but anyone with a good enough eye could see it.

“This game was only made for smart people like Davey. No sane person would ever wanna play this game!” Race groaned, rubbing his eyes. 

“‘S supposed ta be some kinda strategy game,” Jack replied, scratching the back of his neck. “‘Cept how the hell are ya supposed ta strategize if ya can’t understand a damn thing?!”

“You’ll get the hang of it. I play it all the time with Medda,” Davey said. 

“Yeah, but you and Medda are both smart people,” Charlie quipped. They laughed, falling into a comfortable silence for a while. There was the sound of the gate opening, and in an instant, the four boys shot up, clambering over each other to try to reach the front door first. They ran out into the yard and straight into Medda’s arms, almost sobbing with relief. Medda hugged them back hard, pressing kisses on their foreheads, smiling and laughing.

“Oh, I’ve missed you! ‘S too quiet without you four keepin’ me up at night.” Medda separated herself from their embrace her eyes falling on Jack.

“Jack! What on earth are you doing here?” She pulled him into an embrace nevertheless.

“Race got real sick while you was gone. Don’t worry, he’s all healed up. Just wanted to make sure you were here ‘fore I left.”

“Oh my! Well, I’m glad to hear Race is okay. You didn’t have to stay-“

“Nah, ‘s the least I could do.”

Medda pats him on the cheek with a soft smile before speaking again.

“Stay for dinner. We can drive you back to the shop after. Race, I need to talk to you about what happened. Once I get the full story, I can sleep in peace tonight. Now come on! It’s getting cold!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The weather only got colder as time went on. While there was no signs of snow yet, they received a fair amount of sleet. Jack found himself spending more nights at Medda’s house. It was warmer than his apartment, and the addition of the boys only helped. They didn’t celebrate Christmas, Medda explained. When Jack asked why, she explained that Davey and Les came from a Jewish family. They celebrated in the winter time by having dinner and exchanging small gifts, but they never really liked to put a label on it. They were always invited to Pulitzer’s Christmas dance though.

Davey and Charlie seemed to actively dread the dance. Davey said he hated having to make small talk with adults who clearly were patronizing him, and Charlie said that he hated having to sit in a corner and watch everyone else dance, while he felt entirely invisible. 

Race and Les, surprisingly, we’re excited for the dance. “They serve the most desserts you ever seen in your whole life!” Les had exclaimed excitedly. “And all the ladies and men never eat a bite ‘cause it ‘Ain’t good manners!’ Me and Race always have the whole buffet to ourselves!” 

Jack agreed to go on Medda’s invitation. On the day of the big dance, Medda was filling the tubs with warm water and letting them wash themselves with store-bought soap instead of their usual homemade soap while she ironed and pressed their best shirts and pants and vests. She lent Jack a suit as well and wore an old, red cotton dress that was elegant, but not very ornate. They set off in the cart as the sun was setting, the four boys watching as their house grew smaller in the distance.

Pulitzer’s house was large and white, and it almost felt like Jack was dirtying the place when he stepped inside. Medda and her boys, despite the fact that they had cleaned up, were clearly the least wealthy there. Men were dressed in fine suits, ladies in large, bustling dresses of every color imaginable made from taffeta and silk and satin. A large buffet table was filled with ornately decorated desserts, from tiny cakes frosted with flowers to custard creams to pudding. A group of musicians were playing music, and people were dancing with too straight backs and no smiles.

It was almost pitiful.

Pulitzer made his arrival with Katherine on his arm. Her waist was as tiny as ever, long red hair arranged around in an elegant knot on the back of her head with pearls stuck in, her dress clearly the most expensive in the room, a champagne-colored gown with pearls stitched all across the neckline and sleeves. She looked miserable as her father paraded her around like a trophy. 

It was almost funny how different Medda and Pulitzer were. Pulitzer seemed to see Katherine as a doll, a figure to dress up and parade around in an attempt to show off how wealthy he was. Medda, though having less than Pulitzer, never once appeared to see her sons as trophies for her kindness. Her eyes were always full of such love and genuine emotion when she looked at them, it almost hurt.

Jack was sitting in the corner with Charlie when Race and Les approached them, hands full of sweets. 

“What do ya want, Charlie?” Race asked, holding his hands forward. Charlie took one of the tiny cakes and nibbled on the corner, eyes scanning the room. Jack refused the sweets when they were offered.

“So, who’re you betting on, Les?” Race asked, eyes traveling over the ladies in the room. Les looked around before pointing to a blonde girl, about Jack’s age, wearing a blush pink dress.

“That one.”

“What on earth are you two doing?” Jack asked. Race grinned mischievously in response.

“Davey’s at the age where most people start marryin’. And we all know he don’t want to, right?”

“Right?”

“Well, y’see, Davey is this handsome, smart, quiet, and ‘mysterious’ guy. And so all the girls like him ‘cause of it. Girls like a challenge. So, Les and I play a game at school where we bet on which girl is gonna try to flirt with Davey first.”

Race stopped, pointing to a brunette with a bright yellow dress who was already eyeing Davey from across the room.

“My money’s on her.”

Sure enough, the brunette began to cross over the room to Davey, who saw her coming and ducked to the buffet table, grabbing a glass of punch and weaving through the crowd in an attempt to lose her.

Race, Charlie, and Les burst into giggles at the sight. It turns to full on belly laughs when the blonde girl that Les has bet on began trying to intercept Davey, grabbing at his arm. He yanked his arm away, eyes desperately looking for an escape route.

Feeling bad for the poor guy, Jack got up, despite Race and Les’ protests that he was “going to ruin the fun,” and wove through the crowd, grabbing Davey’s arm and pulling him into another room, free of guests and hidden mostly by a curtain.

Davey let out a groan as soon as they were alone, flopping onto a nearby couch.

“I hate the Christmas dance.”

“I feel ya.”

Jack took a moment to look around. They were in some sort of library, a door leading to the porch outside. A few spare tablecloths were folded on the couch, paintings covering the walls that weren’t filled with books.

“I used to enjoy dancing, you know.”

Jack snapped his attention back to Davey, coming around to sit next to him on the sofa. Davey sat up a little.

“Used to be really easy. And it’s not as complicated when you’re younger. You just find a partner and dance. Now I’m older, and suddenly people care how good you are and who you dance with and I just-“

“I’m sorry, Dave.”

Davey let out a shaky laugh. There was silence for a moment before Davey held out his glass of punch. Jack blinked.

“What’s this?”

“A thank you. For getting me out.”

Jack took the glass from his hand, raising it in a mock toast before sipping it a little and setting it down. It was good punch, he noted.

“If it ain’t too personal to ask, why exactly don’t you wanna fall in love?”

Davey seemed to mull it over for a moment,

“I mean, I know it’s gonna happen. I just-“

He struggled for a moment, and Jack waited.

“I suppose I don’t mind the idea of falling in love. I just don’t ever want to be that emotionally invested in a person, y’know? When my father left, it tore my mother to pieces. She couldn’t even get out of bed in the mornings. And ever since I saw that, I vowed I would never let anyone have power like that over me.”

Something in Jack’s chest ached for Davey. He wanted to pull Davey to his chest again, much like he did before. But instead, he held out his hand. Davey looked at it, confused.

“What are you doing?”

“Teach me ta dance?”

Davey bit back a smile, shaking his head.

“I can’t.”

“Why not?!”

“Because guys don’t dance with other guys!”

Jack let out an exaggerated groan, looking back into the dancing crowd outside of the room. 

“Katherine is dancing with a girl!”

“Is she now?” 

Both of them hid behind the curtain, peeking around to look. Sure enough, Katherine was dancing with a girl. This girl had dark, ebony hair with eyes that were almost as green as her dress. The two girls were giggling, spinning so that their skirts flared out in swirls of silk.

“That’s Lorelei. She doesn’t go to school with us, but she lives not too far away,” Davey said.

“Why’s two girls dancin’ any different than two guys?” Jack teased, elbowing him. Davey grinned, rolling his eyes as Jack grabbed his tie and pulled him back into the room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Any attempts at actually learning to dance were thrown out of the window.

They couldn’t keep themselves together. They kept bursting into giggles, stepping on each other and stumbling around.

It was the most fun Jack had in months, and based on the look on Davey’s face, it was the same for him. They could have stayed in their forever, stumbling around and trying unsuccessfully to maintain some kind of dignity. 

Until the sound of a crash outside snapped them out of it. The party went silent, and there was a yelp of pain that Davey seemed to recognize, because he ran back into the party, Jack close on his heels.

Everyone was looking in the center of the room. The front of a young woman’s dress had a small stain from what looked like punch that was spilled on her. Pulitzer was holding Race by his collar, jerking sharply.

“Let go! Don’t touch him like that!” Les yelled, trying to jump up and rip Pulitzer’s hand off of Race’s collar. Pulitzer merely pushed Les away and forced Race to kneel.

Race was pale, eyes unfocused and panicked, as if lost in a flashback of some sort. Davey ran forward, yanking Race away from Pulitzer, and Race collapsed, breathing quickly.

“What the hell is wrong with you?!” Charlie had finally hobbled up, dropping down next to Race and scowling at Pulitzer, practically snarling at him.

“Watch your language when you talk to an adult,” Pulitzer said calmly. “Besides, he had it coming.”

Les tried unsuccessfully to tackle Pulitzer, and Davey pulled him away, struggling as Les kicked and screamed, trying to claw at Pulitzer.

Medda was there now, gently guiding Race into her arms and stroking his cheek with her thumb. 

“How do you live with yourself, Medda?”

Medda looked up, something deadly in her eyes.

“I beg your pardon, Mr. Pulitzer?”

“How can you let these boys run around doing whatever they please? You can’t protect them forever, you know. Your precious Davey? Because you allow him to believe he can do without marriage, he will die alone and without a soul to love him or care.”

Davey tightened his grip on Les, swallowing hard.

“Charlie? You honestly think any woman would want a man who can’t walk without hobbling? Do you honestly think he can get a job with that leg that can provide for a family?”

Something died inside of Charlie’s eyes. He looked at the ground, turning red.

“And Race? I wouldn’t be the slightest bit surprised if he became a criminal. And Les would be right alongside him-“

“I think we’ve heard quite enough, Mr. Pulitzer.”

Medda stood, crossing over so that she was looking Pulitzer right in the eye.

“You will not speak to my boys ever again. And I will not be bringing them back. If you have an opinion about that, keep it to yourself. Do I make myself clear?”

The room was silent except for Race’s ragged breathing. Finally, Pulitzer nodded slowly.

With that, Medda gathered them all up and marched out into the cold evening, head high and refusing to look anyone in the eye.


	8. Snowy Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s a snowy day with Medda, Jack, Davey, Charlie, Race, and Les.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just fluff here 😂 we need some tbh

The ride home was eerily quiet.

The boys didn’t speak or look at each other. Race had his knees drawn up to his chest, drumming his fingers on his arms. Medda was almost fuming, jaw locked and muttering something under her breath.

Jack shifted over so that he was sitting next to Race. He gently put his arm around Race, who stiffened momentarily before relaxing into Jack, clinging to him like he was the only thing keeping him grounded. 

When they got back to the house, Davey and Jack stayed behind to help Medda pull a blanket over Lizzy and put the cart away. When they got inside, Les was sitting next to Race on the couch, Charlie standing by the window. This struck Jack as odd. Normally, when one of the boys were hurt or scared, Charlie was the first one there to provide comfort. 

“Charlie? Honey, are you alright?” Medda’s voice was gentle, tinged with a soft affection. Charlie didn’t answer at first, drumming his fingers on his crutch before turning, eyes frightened and beginning to mist.

“Is it true? That no one will ever want me because of my leg?”

Medda blinked, shocked. She looked around the room, at the boys she had grown to love with all her being, who were all wounded by what Pulitzer had said. She sat in her armchair, patting her lap.

“Come here, boys.”

They shuffled over hesitantly, trading glances. Les scrambled up into Medda’s lap, Race sat in the arm of the chair and rested his cheek on her hair. Davey sat on the floor, leaning back on Medda’s legs and putting an arm around Charlie, who nestled up next to him, leaning his head on Davey’s shoulder.

“None of what that jackass said was true, you hear me? Don’t let him define you like that. Any of you.”

They were still like that when Jack left, snuggled together, silent but comforting, arms around each other. It was almost humorous, how the woman who had stood up to the most powerful man in town with a fire in her eyes could also hold these boys with such tenderness and love, stroking their hair and humming under her breath.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jack had never really been a big fan of snow. Snow in New York was miserable. It was always covered in black soot, and the building he lived in always grew extremely cold. His clothing would be damp from the snow, freezing on his legs and arms. Needless to say, he had never thought of snow as a positive thing until he spent a snowy day with Medda and her boys.

He had woken up in the shop and looked outside to see everything covered in a blanket of white, almost a foot deep and still snowing. He was sad, because he figured that there was no way that the boys would be able to come visit, as Lizzy probably wasn’t strong enough to pull the cart through the snow. He had managed to find somewhat of a friend in Jacob, so he knew he wouldn’t be too lonely that day. But even Jacob decided to close the shop for the day to spend time with his family.

“I’m sorry, Jack. I hate to leave you alone on a day like this.”

“Eh, don’t worry ‘bout it. I owe ya big time.” Jack was helping him clean up the shop before he left. As Jacob was putting on his coat, he looked out the window and paused.

“Well, I’ll be.”

Jack looked out the window as well, and reeled back a little in shock.

Lizzy was pulling a sled, slower than normal. Medda was driving this time, all bundled up in a large coat and scarves and mittens, snow caught in her eyelashes. The boys were sitting in the back of the sled, underneath several thick blankets, but were throwing them off and climbing off the back of the sled, chattering excitedly.

“Boys! I don’t know how many times I have to tell you not to climb off the sled until Lizzy has come to a complete stop!” Medda yelled. They shouted their apologies to Medda, pulling coats more firmly around themselves as Lizzy came to a stop.

“Those folks of yours are crazy,” Jacob said, shaking his head fondly. Davey was helping Charlie by letting him climb up on his back, as he had left his crutch on the sled. They all clambered up the shop stairs, knocking on the door of the shop eagerly.

Jacob opened the door, letting in a whoosh of cold air and loud chatter. 

“Heya, Jack!” Race yelled, tackling Jack in a hug. His cheeks were red and cold from the air outside. They all came up, one by one to hug Jack, chattering excitedly.

“Good morning, Jack,” Medda said, dusting the snow off her coat before pulling him in for a hug.

“Wasn’t expecting to see you folks,” Jack said with a grin, squeezing Medda gently. Medda laughed. 

“Well, Davey couldn't stand the thought of you spending today alone-“

“Medda!“

“Oh, it’s nothing to be embarrassed about Davey! Anyways, we came to pick you up. We were thinking you could stay with us until the snow melted enough to open the shop back up again.”

Jack glanced over at Davey, who was hiding his pink face in his scarf. He barely bit back a grin at the sight, and that warm feeling that was becoming more familiar in his chest returned in full force. 

“Go ahead, Jack. We’re all done here,” Jacob said, tipping his hat before jogging out the door, wading through the snow.

“Um… I ain’t got no winter wear,” Jack admitted embarrassedly. Medda scoffed.

“Jack Kelly, what do you take me for?! I brought some old winter clothes of Davey’s. They’re out in the sled. We can get some more when we get back to the house.”

“I’ll grab the stuff!” Les yelled, running back out into the snow. 

“Les! LES! Oh, that boy will be the death of me, I swear… Race, go help him lift up the compartment to grab the stuff. Lord knows he’s too small to lift it himself.”

“Yes, m’am!” Race laughed, tipping his hat before running out after him.

“You didn’t honestly think we would leave you all by yourself on such a pretty day like this?!” Charlie asked, leaning against the wall to support his weight without the crutch. Jack shrugged.

“I’ve never had folks ‘fore you came along. And snow ain’t never been a good experience for me.”

Les had come back in by now, throwing the armful of clothes at Jack before slamming the door shut, leaning all his weight against it. Race pounded at the door.

“Les! Lemme in!”

“Make me!”

Jack laughed, throwing on the coat. A pair of mittens, a hat, and a scarf were all stuffed in the pockets. With Medda’s help, he tied the scarf in a knot around his neck, pulled the hat over his ears, and slid on the mittens. They were slightly frayed, but Jack was too touched by the gesture to give it much thought.

The snow crunched under his feet as they headed back to the sleigh. Medda pulled the quilts aside, letting everyone climb in the back. Jack stood and watched, until Davey held out his hand.

“C’mon, Jack, it’s cold. We don’t want you freezing on the way back.”

Jack took it, pulling himself up onto the back. The boys all nestled him until he was firmly sandwiched between Davey and Race. Les, who was shivering, snuggled up in between Race and Charlie’s side, stuffing his mittened hands under Charlie’s jacket to keep them warm. Medda looked them over one more time before throwing the quilts over everyone, squeezing them together and tucking them in firmly.

“There. Don’t squirm too much or the blankets will move and you’ll let in the cold air. Hopefully you’ll stay warm until we get back into the house and get into more appropriate sledding wear. Don’t you give me that look, Race! You and I both know you ain’t wearing enough layers, and I don’t want a repeat of last year.”

“That was one time! It was  _ really _ cold!”

Davey, Charlie, and Les all laughed, and even Medda let a fond smile slip before climbing into the driver’s seat and picking up the reins.

It was warm beneath the blankets, their legs all tangled together, and the blankets trapping their body heat beneath them. 

All Jack could focus on was how close Davey was, his frosty nose only inches from his.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After stopping by the house to grab more layers and a rather large sled, they trudged out through the woods until they arrived at a large, empty hill. Jack and Davey swapped turns helping Charlie walk without his crutch.

“Alright,” Les announced, grabbing the sled from Race and thumping it down. “Let’s climb on!”

Les swung his leg over and slid to the front. Race sat right behind him.

“You want me to push ya?” Charlie asked. Les and Race stared at him incredulously.

“You ain’t joining us?” Les whined. Charlie’s face lit up.

“You want me to?”

“Yes! There’s plenty of room!” Race said excitedly, patting the back of the sled. Charlie grinned, hobbling up and sitting down just behind Race, scooting forwards and moving his legs into the proper position.

The three boys on the sled looked at Davey, eyebrows raised expectantly.

“Absolutely not.”

“Daveyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!” Race whined.

“No! There’s barely any room-“

“So we’ll make room!”

“-and all the extra weight will make it go extremely fast!”

“Do you  _ know  _ who you’re talking to? Now there’s no way I’m letting you be a scaredy-cat and wimp out on us!”

“Scaredy-cat!” Les echoed, sticking out his tongue. 

Davey rolled his eyes, turning away. The boys on the sled let out shrieks of indignation, which made Davey turn back again.

“Please, Davey? You don’t want some of your last memories with us before going to college to be you refusing to ride a sled with us?” This was the first time Jack had seen Charlie’s legendary “puppy eyes” that Medda had once mentioned, and Jack had to admit, it was a rather adorable sight.

It was apparently enough to break Davey’s resolve, because after a frustrated sigh, Davey walked over. They all let out a cheer, scooting forward to try and cram Davey on the back. 

“Jack, push us!” Les said excitedly, gripping the front. Jack grinned, coming up behind them and placing his hands on Davey’s shoulders to push.

“One…”

“God, this was a terrible idea…”

“Two…”

“Too late now, Dave!” Race crowed, gripping tightly on Les. Medda, who had been watching the whole time from the side was shaking her head, but she remained silent.

“Three!”

Jack pushed as hard as he could, shoving off when the sled began to tilt down.

They screamed, Davey and Charlie from terror, Race and Les from exhilaration.

Davey fell off the back halfway through, which caused Race to let out a stream of curses. 

“Man down!” Les yelled. Charlie tried to reach forward to cover Les’s ears, and the sudden movement caused the sled to turn to the side, sending them all sprawling on the snow.

“Jesus Christ!” Jack ran down the hill, almost falling down it in an attempt to reach them. He pulled himself to a stop when he heard laughter.

They were lying in the snow, laughing happily. They all stood, helping Charlie up and beginning to trudge back up the hill, sled in tow.

They spent the rest of the afternoon taking turns sledding, until their fingers and toes were numb and the sun began to set, casting a golden glow over the glistening snow.

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments give me life so feel free to drop one ❤️❤️❤️


	9. Holidays

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack celebrates with Medda’s little family

The next morning, Jack awoke to the sound of pots clanging together and Medda singing to herself. Jack sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and glancing out the window. The snow still hadn’t melted. Lizzy was standing in the yard, surrounded by the four boys. Les was holding a feed bucket, which Lizzy had stuck her nose in, and she was crunching happily as Charlie and Davey were fastening a blanket over her. Race was at her water trough, breaking the ice that had glazed over the top so that Lizzy could drink water.

He threw on some clothes before trudging downstairs. He was always borrowing from Davey or Charlie, and he made a mental note to save up some money to get some more clothes of his own. While Davey and Charlie never seemed to mind, it still bothered Jack to have to rely on them so much. Medda was busy at work over the stove. She smiled when she saw him.

“Morning, sleepy-head!”

“Mornin’, Miss Medda. What’s the special occasion?”

“Well, remember that little holiday I told you about? Today is normally the day we celebrate it.”

Jack’s throat went dry. He gulped.

“I… I don’t have anything to give you folks…”

“You saved Race’s life. It’s the least we can do. And if you really feel that awful about the whole thing, you can give us something later.” She patted his cheek affectionately before turning back to the stove. ”But they’ve been savin’ up for a gift for you, and they’re really excited to watch you receive it.”

Jack shook his head. “No, I couldn’t accept anything from them, not after all they’ve done for me-“

“Well, they’ve already gotten it, so you might as well just accept it. Trust me, they are doing it more for themselves than you. So indulge them in it, alright? I’ll find a way for you to pay us back.”

Thankful that Medda seemed to understand, Jack nodded.

The door swung open, letting in a gust of cold air. The boys practically fell through the door, slamming it shut behind them and beginning to strip off the thick layers of clothing.

“Morning, Jack! How did you sleep last night?” Davey asked, fingers fumbling with the laces on his boots.

“Slept real well, Dave. How’s Lizzy doin’?”

“Honestly, I think she may be nearing her retirement days. She’s getting pretty old.”

Les shot up with panicked eyes. “We’re not gonna put Lizzy down, are we?!”

“Course not! After all she’s done for us?!” Medda seemed almost offended by the idea, and Les relaxed. “Don’t worry your sweet little head, Les. Retirement just means she spends the rest of her days lounging in the field and eating grass, never having to work another day, I suppose we’ll have to start looking for a new horse soon.”

“No one will ever replace that gem,” Race said, hanging up his coat and flopping on the couch. Davey followed after, pushing Race’s legs out of the way to make room.

“Go get your gifts, alright? Breakfast will be served real soon. Don’t open anything until I say so, you hear?”

It was a race up the stairs when Medda turned back to the stove.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Presents were opened eagerly. Most of them were small gifts. Charlie gave Race a pair of brand new boots, and Race had nearly leapt for joy. Davey had saved up some money and bought Medda a colored glass brooch. They all gave Les a cap made from black velvet which he promptly yanked over his curls and ran around with, pretending he was a rich man who owned an inheritance.

Jack was not ready when they all turned to him, faces eager and hopeful.

“We’ve been savin’ up some money so we could buy ya these, Jack.” Race held out a wooden box. Jack hesitated, but took it anyhow. He could hear them all holding their breath as he lifted the lid. His heart stopped.

Lined perfectly inside were tubes of paint, brand new brushes, and a wooden palette. All were shining with newness, glistening in the firelight.

A lump formed in his throat.

“It was Davey’s idea!” Charlie piped up, unaware of Jack’s swelling emotions. “And we can make canvases using wooden frames and white cloth. We just thought it would be something you would enjoy, seeing as you want to become an artist and all.”

Jack’s mind was spinning, overwhelmed with emotions, but seemingly unable to put any of them into words. He just stood there, tears welling, the box clutched in his hands. 

No one had ever cared for him like this. When he lived in New York, he would see families walking through the streets, laughing and playing together, and he would feel longing. Longing to be a part of a family like that. Longing for someone to love him that way.

And suddenly, by hopping on a train and leaving it to fate to decide where he would end up, he found that sort of love. The kind that replaced any loneliness with warmth and light.

It wasn’t until he felt Davey brush his cheek with his fingers that Jack realized he was crying, tears blurring his vision. In an instant, the boys were around him, pulling him into a tangle of limbs.

A choked sob escaped from Jack’s throat, and it was all he could do to cling on to them, trying desperately to find some kind of way of thanking them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The snow was finally cleared from the roads by the time evening came, so Davey offered to drive Jack back to his apartment, which he accepted. They bundled up, hitching Lizzy to the cart, and Medda insisted on covering their legs with a thick blanket, tucking them in firmly before waving them off.

The ride was silent, with only the sound of Lizzy’s hoofbeats on the ground to break the silence. When they reached the shop, Jack asked Davey to wait a moment. He jogged up into his apartment and grabbed an envelope, coming back out and holding it up to Davey. Davey furrowed his brows in confusion, but took it, looking it over.

“What is it?”

“My paycheck. It should be enough to pay off the paints, along with some extra, just as a thank you.”

Davey shook his head, reaching forward to stuff the envelope back into Jack’s pocket. Jack grabbed his hand to stop him, and looked up at Davey with pleading eyes.

“We’re not taking your money, Jack.”

“Please? I owe ya so much-“

“You  _ owe  _ us?”

“Of course! Ya gave me a roof over my head, food in my stomach, and now these paints! I gotta pay ya back  _ somehow- _ “

“There’s nothing to pay back for!”

Davey freed his hand, stuffing the envelope into Jack’s coat pocket. Before Jack could protest, Davey took his hand again.

“Believe me, I get it. I used to be the same way. But Jack, in our house, in our  _ family, _ we don’t do debts or paybacks. It was the first thing Medda taught me when she took me in.”

Jack felt his face heat up, and he looked down at his hand in Davey’s.

“ _ Our  _ family?”

Davey squeezed his hand.

“Of course, Jacky. You’re just as much a part of our family as me or Charlie or Race or Les. Even if you don’t live with us.”

Eyes welling up again, Jack pulled Davey into a crushing hug. They stayed like that for a bit, just holding each other, the silence broken only by Jack’s sniffles.

When they finally pulled apart, Davey gave him a crooked smile. “You forgot these.” He handed him the wooden box of paints, and Jack chuckled softly.

“You’re a gem, Dave.” Davey’s eyes were shining softly, and before Jack could think better of it, he blurted, “Y’know, as soon as I get the hang of these paints, I’m gonna paint a portrait of you.”

Davey blushed, but he was still smiling. “I’d like that.”

The warm feeling in his chest coupled with Davey’s smile gave Jack enough courage to take a risk. He reached up to touch Davey’s cheek.

“Don’t think I’ll do ya justice though. Ya got the prettiest eyes.”

He heard Davey suck in a breath, his face turning a darker shade of pink. He stayed there for a moment before stepping back, mumbling a “thank you” before climbing up into the cart and urging Lizzy forward.

On the way inside, Jack could hardly contain his giddy smile.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now that that’s out of the way, we can start getting into the fun parts of the fic 😉 hope you all enjoyed!


	10. Racing Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Racing tour comes to town

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After a lot of insecurity and editing this is what happened 😂 I thought about adding more butI think it will fit better in the next chapter. Enjoy!

Days turned to weeks, and before anyone realized, the weather was getting warmer and flowers were beginning to bloom, announcing the start of spring. 

Life was looking up for Jack. He had been experimenting with the paint, and was slowly getting the hang of it. Medda had sectioned off the guest room, so that was where Jack created and kept his paintings. Medda gave him a key to the house, which meant that he could jog home after work and let himself in, where he would immediately head up to the room, throw on the apron that Medda had given him for painting, and splash canvases with color while he waited for Medda and her boys to come home. He would eat dinner with them, then jog back and spend the night in his apartment. 

“Y’know,” Race had said one day, “ya spend so much time here you might as well just move back in.”

It wasn’t the first time Medda or one of her boys had dropped a hint that they wanted him to move back in. Les begged for it. Charlie tried but failed to subtly suggest that they missed Jack terribly when he left. Medda kept asking, insisting that it would be “no trouble at all.”

“Do you want me to move back in?” Jack asked Davey, trying to be casual. They were washing the dishes together, occasionally flicking water on each other. Davey shrugged.

“I mean, we miss you when you’re gone. And like Race said, you’re here so much. But like I said, you’ll still be family no matter where you live.”

“Ya didn’t answer my question. Do  _ you  _ want me to move back in?”

Davey’s cheeks tinged pink, but he didn’t look up at Jack.

“I want you to. But if you don’t want that, I won’t force you.”

Jack felt himself smile.

“Well, I guess I’m gonna need your help packing then.”

It was completely worth it just to watch Davey’s face light up.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jack awoke one particular morning to find Les snuggled up against his chest. This was nothing new for Medda’s family. It had become a bit of a recurring thing, as Les always climbed into someone’s bed when he had a nightmare. All three of Les’ siblings and Medda had several stories of waking up to find Les curled up next to them, clutching to them and whining when they tried to get up. But the sight made Jack warm.

Jack tried to move to the side to give Les more room, but this caused Les to wake, and he let out a sleepy whine. 

“Alright, calm down kid! I was just movin’.” Jack lay down on his back, and in an instant, Les was lying his head on Jack’s shoulder, fisting his shirt and letting his eyes slip shut again.

It was a while before Jack heard the sound of Davey shrieking, then an indignant, “Race!”

“Ya didn’t wake up when I asked ya nicely!”

Silence. Then another yelp, followed by a thud. New footsteps padded down the hallway.

“I’m gonna kill you one of these days, I swear-“

“What on earth are you two doing up so early?” Medda’s voice was firm, but there was a hint of mirth behind it, as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. In an instant, Davey and Race we’re talking over each other.

“Medda, ya don’t understand-“

“He jumped on me! Scared me half to death-“

“Today the racing tour’s comin’! And we gotta-“

“He yanked me out of bed! I think I bruised my hip-“

By this point, the sound of Charlie’s crutch was clunking down the hallway. The sound of a door opening, then Race yelped, followed by Davey.

“Jesus, Charlie!”

“Charlie, I hope I did not just watch you hit your brothers with your crutch-“

“They woke me up!”

“Charlie, I don’t care that ya gotta bad leg, I’ll tackle ya to the ground and knock ya out-“

“Race!”

Les jolted up, excitement sparking in his eyes. 

“Are they fighting?! I gotta get in on this!”

Les scampered out of bed, dashing down the hallway towards the sounds of yelling and Medda’s barely concealed laughs.

Jack hurried after him as Medda was closing the bedroom door, wiping her eyes and still chuckling. 

“They gonna be okay?” Jack asked nervously. Medda waved him off.

“They fight like this sometimes, but they know better than to hurt each other. And if they do, they always come around.”

She gestured for Jack to follow her, which he did.

“Let’s make ‘em breakfast, and when they’re done, they can eat. Then we can head to this tour that Race keeps goin’ on about.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They all agreed to walk there, as they were trying to let Lizzy rest as much as possible now that she was getting older. Race could hardly contain his excitement, complaining loudly about how long they were taking to get there.

After a while, they finally reached the track. They purchased their tickets at the gate from a tired old man and stepped inside, Race already craning his head to see what was happening.

It was a rather small track, surrounded by stands that were almost completely filled with people, chattering excitedly. In the center were trailers and carts, where people were getting ready for the race. Girls were powdering their noses in mirrors, chattering excitedly and sticking feathers in each other’s hair. Their skirts reached their calves, revealing colorful petticoats. Boys were jogging thoroughbreds down the track, yelling out to each other and bantering playfully. Some of the spectators were watching the horses, placing bets by another trailer on which horse would win.

“Find a shady place, please. I ain’t cooking in this sun anytime soon.” Medda was fanning herself with her hand. 

Jack bought her a fan from another one of the trailers, and they sat beneath the shade of a nearby tree. Race stayed near the fence, shading his eyes and looking over all the horses with interested eyes.

“Race! I can’t see!” Les whined, trying to climb up on him to get a better view. Race ignored him, which made Les whine louder and higher until Jack finally took pity on him and let Les climb up on his back, which gave Les a better view.

“Which horse do ya think is gonna win, Jack?” Les asked. Jack shrugged, accidentally jostling Les a little bit. “No idea, kid. I ain’t never been to a horse race before.”

“My money’s on that palomino right there!” Charlie and Davey had come up to the fence too. Charlie was pointing to a palomino who was jumping nervously, their nose stuck straight in the air and jerking on the rope that was in the boy’s hand.

Looking around, all the horses seemed to be the same, jerking on ropes, prancing nervously, jumping and trying to take off. But Race wasn’t looking at any of them. Jack followed his eyes to a boy, about Race’s age.

He was short. Extremely so, Jack noticed. The horse he was leading, a handsome black thing, towered over him. But he was muscular, with a mop of dark hair and even darker eyes. Unlike the other boys, he wasn’t waving to the audience or trying to manage a nervous horse. He was staring straight ahead, jaw locked. The black horse was calm, padding slowly around the ring and obeying the boy’s cues perfectly.

Race kept watching, watching as the boy came around close to their part of the fence. His eyes wandered until they met Race’s, and he seemed to pause for a split second, before nodding in his direction and turning his attention back to the track.

“Race! How on Earth did you get a sunburn already?!” Davey was staring at Race’s face incredulously, unaware of the boy. Sure enough, Race’s cheeks were a bright red.

“Come sit in the shade, honey. All of you! I ain’t drying your tears if any one of you gets sunburned.” Medda patted the ground next to her, and they all reluctantly headed back into the shade.

  
  
  
  



	11. Spot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Race meets Spot

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this took a while 😂 I’m gonna try to be better

The races were set up quite simply. There was a bracket, separating the racers into two teams of eight. They raced two by two, and the one who won the race got to move on to the next round while the other was eliminated. This arrangement repeated itself until there were only two racers remaining.

The boy was announced as Spot Conlon. His first race was one against another boy announced as Elmer. They had to randomly pick the name of the horse they were racing out of a hat. A showgirl trotted out with the hat, presenting it with a flourish, but neither competitor paid her any mind. Both their hands went inside the hat, and both came out with a slip of paper. Elmer whooped loudly when he saw the name, but Spot remained stoic. 

“Spot Colon will be racing Trigger! And Elmer will be racing the lovely horse Smarty Jones!” The show girl yelled to the crowd. A cheer went up as Spot and Elmer shook hands.

Trigger was the jumpy palomino that Charlie had pointed out earlier. The first time Spot tried to swing on, Trigger spooked and jumped to the side. Several boys ran out to help, but Spot waved them away, turning his attention back to the horse. He scratched its withers gently, guiding the horse into a bend with its nose bent towards him. The horse relaxed a little, and this let Spot put his foot into the stirrup and swing up.

The two competitors backed up behind a white line in the sand. Another showgirl lifted a flag into the air, waving it with a cheeky grin. When she lowered it, the two horses took off, and the crowd let out a loud whoop.

“Whoa! Lizzy’s never run that fast!” Les yelled excitedly.

The hooves reminded Jack faintly of thunder. Elmer was ahead, but Spot seemed to be almost holding Trigger back. But by the final turn, Spot let her go. She practically flew past Elmer. The air was filled with screams of triumph.

No matter what horse Spot was riding or who he was competing against, the result was the same. He won each race with a practiced ease, barely acknowledging the crowd around him, dark eyes always intently focused.

The pink and orange sky cast Spot in a glow when he came up and claimed his medal and prize money for the day. It was almost funny, how despite the screaming crowd and the teammates that were cheering him on, Spot only had eyes for Race.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The sky was beginning to stain purple when the arena finally cleared out. Les was on the verge of falling asleep, so Jack and Davey took turns carrying him. They were all sore and tired from the long day, but Race was practically glowing with excitement.

“What’d I tell ya?! Wasn’t that just the most exciting thing you ever saw?! Oh, boy I’m gonna have trouble keeping still at supper tonight!”

“Since when has that not been true?” Charlie teased, grimacing slightly as he hobbled. Medda frowned.

“You alright there, Charlie?”

“Hm? Oh, yeah! Don’t worry about it Medda! My legs are just a little sore from sitting all day. I can manage ‘til we get home.”

“Are you sure? I know that leg of yours hurts real bad sometimes-“

The sound of wheels creaking and sharp hoof beats made them turn their heads. A pretty little black horse was briskly pulling a cart, which stopped next to them.

“Evening. Couldn’t help but notice you folks didn’t have a carriage ride home-“

“You’re Spot Conlon!”

Sure enough, it was the same short, dark-eyed boy who had not long before carried the medal. Les perked up in Jack’s arms, gasping excitedly. Spot nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. His eyes had found their way back on Race, and remained, never once leaving.

“How far is your house? I don’t mind driving you folks.”

Medda shook her head. “Oh, we wouldn’t want to inconvenience-“

“Our house isn’t far! I can give directions!” Race clambered up hastily into the driver’s seat next to Spot. Spot gave him a half-smile before focusing his attention on the rest of them.

“You getting on or what?”

There was hesitation, but Les clambered down from Jack’s arms, grabbing his hand and dragging him to the back of the cart. Before they knew it, everyone was sitting in the back of the cart, and the little black horse set off.

“Which way?”

“Straight ahead! We’re not far off.”

The rest of the ride was in silence, except for the occasional direction given by Race. Spot only seemed to be half paying attention to the road, his eyes flicking back and forth constantly between the horse and Race.

When they reached the house, Medda insisted he stayed for supper. “It’s the least we can do! And you know I never complain about having another mouth to feed.” Spot surprisingly had few objections, letting his horse off the cart and wander around with Lizzy.

Supper was some bread, butter, and pork. The table was set quickly,and most of the family sat down for dinner. Les went for his normal seat, which was next to Race, but Spot beat him to it, barely acknowledging Les as he sat down. Les didn’t seem to think much of it, simply grabbing another chair and pulling up in the other side of Race.

“You’re a real good cook, m’am,” Spot mumbled. Medda beamed, looking as if she were about to say something, but Race cut her off.

“How long have you been racing?”

Spot smiled, turning to face him a little better. “Well, I’ve been touring since I was ten. Was a stable boy before I became old enough to be a racer. Helped take care of the horses and keep the tack polished, all that. Lots of racers start off as stable hands.”

“What got you into it?”

“Well, I didn’t have folks, y’see. It was an easy way to make some cash, so I went. Found out later it was actually something I really enjoy. Haven’t left since. You thinkin’ about becoming a racer?”

Medda was watching the conversation with an increasing interest, but neither Race nor Spot paid her any mind.

“Well, yeah! I would love to!”

“You should meet the other fellas then. You’d like them. They’re a lot of fun.”

“Ya mean it?!”

Medda finally spoke, cutting Race off.

“You don’t have to, Spot. Please don’t feel obligated, honey.”

“Nah, it would be my pleasure. Are you available tomorrow? We take Sundays off. I could show you around.”

Race’s face fell slightly.

“We’re planning on going to the beach tomorrow. Weather is supposed to be good then,” he said dejectedly. Spot considered for a moment before shrugging.

“I could bring them to the beach. Where’s it at? I can meet ya there.”

“Really?! Can he, Medda?!” Race turned pleasing eyes to Medda, who was smiling. She raised her eyebrows at him, but chuckled.

“I have no backbone with you, Race. Of course he can come. And so can his friends. We can pick you up on the way there tomorrow morning, Spot. Does that work?”

“Works perfectly, thank you m’am.” He wasn’t even looking at Medda though, eyes still on Race, who was practically glowing with happiness.

He left not long after, thanking Medda for the food and her kindness. He nodded to the rest of the family, but he shook Race’s hand.

“I’ll see ya tomorrow, alright?”

“Ya got it!”

No one brought up the fact that the whole night, Spot only seemed to pay full attention to Race. Perhaps they were all too tired. It had been a long day, after all. Or perhaps they just thought they were imagining things. 

That didn’t stop Race from falling asleep with a dopey smile on his face.

  
  
  
  
  



	12. Day at the Beach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys go to the beach with Spot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long and it probably sucks but if I don’t post it now, I never will 😂

Sure enough, the next morning was sunny, with a bright blue cloudless sky that seemed to come straight out of one of Jack’s paintings. The air felt warm and clear, and the sun was practically beaming, casting everything in a golden glow. It was the perfect day to go to the beach.

Jack was helping Davey hitch Lizzy up to the cart. Medda made them all wear straw hats to protect their faces, but Jack and Charlie seemed to be the only ones who bothered wearing them. Davey’s hat was currently sitting on the seat of the cart, next to a book Davey wanted to bring to the beach, and he was chatting excitedly about how he had applied for college in New York and was hoping to get in.

“I’m not planning to stay forever, of course. I don’t want to move very far away from Medda and my family-“

Davey yanked the last strap in place, before smoothing down Lizzy’s forelock tenderly and tilting his face to the sun. The sun threw the golden flecks of his hazel eyes into sharp focus, dancing beneath the light. Jack swallowed nervously, shaking his head to clear it and forcing a smile on his face. These thoughts couldn’t mean anything good. Luckily, Davey hardly seemed to notice, continuing to talk as if nothing had happened.

“Put on your damn hat, Race, or so help me God!”

“Davey’s not wearing his hat!”

Davey scrambled to grab his hat, but not before Medda looked out the window to see him without one. He grinned at her sheepishly, and Medda shook her head fondly at him, turning back inside the house.

“I hate this old hat. I’ve never had much of a hat face,” Davey mumbled. Jack chuckled, reaching forward to swat at the brim.

“I think it suits you.”

Davey went pink, but mustered a smile in Jack’s direction. It was incredibly endearing and sweet, Jack thought.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spot was unusually quiet the whole ride there, letting Race do all the talking and nodding along, eyes wandering purposefully around him. Charlie was chatting idly with Davey and Jack, while Les was observing, Medda driving the cart. 

Lizzy was getting thinner, Jack noticed. She had been eating the same though, and when Jack had asked Davey why she seemed to be getting thinner, Davey had looked at her and sighed. “She’s pretty old. She’s been Medda’s horse for just about as long as I can remember.”

Spot leaned over the side of the cart to take a good look at Lizzy. “You know, we have some horses we want to retire. You could come by and take a look. I’m sure one will fit you.” 

“Get back in the cart, young man! I don’t care that you’re new, I ain’t gonna be responsible for you falling off the side.” Spot gave Race a dramatic look that made him giggle before flopping back down.

“We would appreciate it,” Race said honestly. Spot looked at him for a moment before nodding, a small smile gracing his features.

The beach was not a very large one, nor was it very crowded. They set up a blanket on the beach, and as soon as it was set up, Race grabbed Spot’s hand and raced to the water, followed closely behind by Les, and Medda trailing. Charlie began to walk across the shoreline. Davey sat on the blanket, pulling out his book and opening it to a marked page.

Jack flopped down next to Davey on the blanket, tapping the book. “Whatcha readin’?”

Davey grinned, but didn’t look up.

“Just a book for school. Gotta write a paper on it soon. Figured I might as well get ahead.”

“Gotcha! What’s it about?”

“Biochemistry.”

“Sounds fancy.”

Davey put the book down, elbowing Jack playfully. “Are you going to keep distracting me?” Jack grinned in response.

“You find me distractin’?”

Davey went pink, picking his book back up. Curious, he shuffled up slowly until he could rest his chin on Davey’s shoulder. Davey stiffened a little, but relaxed into him.

“What are you doing?”

“Tryin’ ta read. I’m not very good at it. Didn’t really go to a school like you.”

“Really?”

“Didn’t have the time, not with my pops.”

Davey rested his cheek on Jack’s hair. His heart began to pound in his chest.

“You don’t talk about your dad a lot.”

Jack shrugged, trying to stay casual. “Not much to talk about. He hit me, drank too much. Never had the money for food. Overall a pretty horrible guy.”

“I’m glad you found us.”

Jack wrapped an arm around his waist and squeezed, giving a strange sort of hug from behind. Davey rubbed his arm reassuringly before returning to his book.

“Do you want me to read out loud?”

“Yes please.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“GUYS GUYS WE HAVE AN EMERGENCY!”

Jack jerked away from Davey, falling back onto the blanket. He looked up to see Race, tailed by Les, sprinting full speed towards them. Davey groaned.

“Where’s Spot?”

“He’s with Medda! You guys! Charlie’s got a girl!”

“What?!” Les ran up. Race nodded excitedly.

“Her name is Angel! Don’t that sound like a girl Charlie would get with?!”

“How did you find out?” Davey asked, eyebrows furrowed.

“I saw him! He was with this girl on the beach and he kissed her! She was the girl from school! And he made me say I wouldn’t tell anyone!”

“No! She’s gonna take Charlie away!” Les wailed.

“Shush, Les, she’ll be doing no such thing!” Davey scolded. Race kept talking, seemingly unaffected by the people talking around him.

“Charlie says they’ve been seeing each other for a bit. He really likes her! Ain’t that romantic?!”

“No! It’s horrible! I don’t want Charlie to ever get married!” Les yelled. “‘S bad enough Davey will be gone next year! There’s now way I’m lettin’ any girl take Charlie too!”

“What’s going on?” Charlie hobbled up, looking nervous. Les practically pounced on him.

“You got a girl?!”

“Race! You said you wouldn’t tell!”

“I say a lotta stuff! Ya gotta bring this girl by sometime! Medda will FLIP!”

Charlie kicked Race in the shins, and he yelped, backing off.

“Go play with Spot! He’s looking for you!”

Race laughed, shaking his head as he jogged off to go find Spot. Charlie sat down next to Davey and Jack, rubbing a hand over his face. A silence passed.

“Is she pretty?”

“Jack!” Davey hit Jack across the head with his book, and Jack slapped his arm in retaliation. Despite this, Charlie smiled to himself.

“The most beautiful girl I’ve ever met.”

Davey and Jack traded glances, but Charlie paid them no mind. He seemed to be staring at something only he could see, smiling softly and biting his lower lip.

“He must have it pretty bad,” Davey whispered, opening his book back up. The sun caught his eyes again, lighting them up in a way that made Jack’s chest swell.

“I suppose so, yeah.”


	13. Katherine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katherine comes to Medda in need of help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m so sorry 😂 final exams are a BITCH!

Jack had known for a long while that he was attracted to men as well as women.

In New York, he had his flings. They were brief, and to put it simply, didn’t matter to him. They were gone within a few weeks, just as quickly as they had arrived. Sure, it hurt sometimes, but he always moved on, always kept going.

None of the feelings he had for those people even held a candle to the feelings that had been growing for Davey.

And Jack hated himself for it.

Things were going so well in his life. For once, he had a family, with people who cared about him and took care of him when no one else could. The last thing he needed was romantic feelings to complicate things, much less romantic feelings for another boy.

It was just a crush, he told himself. Hopefully with time, these feelings would fade. Davey was the last person to be interested in a romantic relationship. He had made it abundantly clear.

Still, he couldn’t stop the small part of him that prayed for it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Everyone was fast asleep in their beds when there was a frantic pounding at the door.

Jack awoke with a jolt, panic surging through him. He threw off the covers and headed out his bedroom door, colliding hard with Davey and Race, which sent them all sprawling across the floor. The commotion seemed to be the final straw that caused Charlie and Les to get up, because within moments after the collision, everyone was in the hallway, chattering nervously.

“Don’t suppose it’s a robber?! They’re gonna kill us!”

“Hush, Les, they’ll hear you!”

“Well, we can’t just stand here!”

“Boys!”

Their attention all snapped to Medda, who was picking up a cane to defend herself.

“Davey, Jack, keep them upstairs while I go check who it is. Don’t panic, but be on guard, you understand?”

Davey nodded, picking himself up and holding out his hand for Jack. They all stood at the top of the stairs, huddled together.

Medda went down, cane ready to strike, and cracked the door open. She let out a gasp, and in an instant, the cane fell to the floor, and she allowed the door to open fully.

“Katherine! What on earth are you doing out at this time of night?!”

“Katherine?” Davey hurried down the stairs to the door. His eyes widened when he saw her, and he sucked in a sharp breath.

“Katherine, what happened?!”

Silence. The sound of a choked sob.

“I… I didn’t know… where else to go.”

Medda’s features softened.

“Davey, carry her to the living room. She shouldn’t be walking on that foot.”

Davey nodded, disappearing out the door momentarily and then reappearing a few moments later with Katherine in his arms.

Her usually tame red hair was wild. One eye was blackened, her dress torn and worst of all, her left ankle swollen and purple. Her eyes were red-rimmed and bloodshot from crying.

“Charlie, go ahead and take Race and Les back to bed. I can take care of this. Jack, honey, can you grab the dresses in my chest next to my bed? We’ll get a bath ready for her, heaven knows she needs it.”

Charlie was already beginning to herd Race and Les back to their bedrooms when Jack headed to Medda’s bedroom.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning, Katherine was asleep on the couch, wrapped in a quilt and hair still damp from her bath.

“Keep your voices down now, let her sleep. She had a rough night, the sweet little thing.” Medda spooned out breakfast softer than normal, making a conscious effort to save some for Katherine.

“What happened?” Les asked curiously.

“She had to run from her father. That’s all you need to know. If she wishes to share the details, she can, but I expect you boys not to ask her any questions about it, you understand? She’s staying with us until she heals up and can get back on her feet.”

“Another one adopted, huh?” Race joked under his breath. Charlie elbowed him sharply. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Her father came knocking at the door one night.

The fear in Katherine’s eyes set a wave of flashbacks in motion for Jack. Medda was quick, ordering Jack to take her upstairs and hide her in his bedroom until Pulitzer left. Her hobbling was too slow, so he lifted her up instead and carried her up the stairs and into his bedroom.

“Don’t make a sound,” he whispered before closing the door. Katherine nodded, curling up on his bed and shaking like a leaf.

By the time he had claymores down the stairs, Pulitzer was at the open door, face-to-face with Medda. They boys were all set around the table, shoulders tense. He slid next to Davey, who held his hand under the table so tightly that he was almost certain he was cutting off the flow to his fingers.

“I’m so sorry for intruding on this fine evening, but I was wondering if you knew the whereabouts of my daughter, Katherine. She’s been missing for a good day now.”

“Afraid I haven’t,” she replied smoothly. “But I will keep an eye for her, sir.”

His eyes narrowed suspiciously.

“May I come in?”

Davey’s hand tightened even more, and his knee began to bounce.

“Why on Earth would I let you in after what happened last Christmas?! Why, you’re lucky I’m letting you set a foot on my porch without me shooting it off! I ain’t letting you near my boys ever again, you hear me?!”

He backed away sharply, nodding.

“I hear.”

He left, slamming the door behind him, and everyone relaxed at once. Davey didn’t let go of Jack’s hand.

“I’ll go help the poor girl get up. You can start on dinner, if you’d like.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Despite her injuries, it wasn’t long before Katherine began to thrive beneath Medda’s loving care.

She wore Medda’s old dresses and borrowed a spare crutch from Charlie. She spent her days hobbling around with Les and Race, or chatting with Davey and Charlie. Medda made sure she was well fed and healing properly. Jack could hear the two talking late at night, but he couldn’t tell what it was about.

One morning, when Katherine and Davey were talking over breakfast, she made an announcement.

“You have all been so kind to me. I will never forget your hospitality. But as soon as I heal enough to walk, a friend of mine and I wish to run away to New York. I want to be a journalist.”

Davey’s face fell, but he managed a smile.

“I’m going to miss you, Katherine.”

She rewatched forward, interlocking her and Davey’s fingers. Jack looked away.

“And I, you! You’re my dearest friend, David. But I’ll write! And if you get into that college in New York, I can visit you!”

“You sure you’ll be alright, honey?” Medda asked. Katherine nodded eagerly.

“I think I will be. I believe this is my chance to make a name for myself, really get out in the world. My friend and I intend to make a future for ourselves.”

“Who’s your friend?” Les piped up. Katherine’s cheeks flushed pink.

“Someone I met at a party. We’re very close.”

She wouldn’t say another word about her. Medda urged the boys not to ask.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m open for a Q and A about Little Men on tumblr! Send me an ask at virtualflowerbathlete and I’ll answer!


	14. Riding with Spot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Race goes for a ride with Spot

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If y’all still stuck around, I cannot thank you enough, I love you all so much! Next chapter will be better I promise 😂

Katherine arrived at the train station not long after dark, still limping slightly and a suitcase clutched in her hand. She had tucked her red hair up into her hat and tied a scarf around her face to try and better hide her identity from people who were hustling through the station. Luckily, they barely seemed to notice her, too occupied with their own lives to care.

Someone tapped on her shoulder. She jumped, turning to face them, but let out a sigh of relief when she saw who it was.

“Lorelei!”

Her green eyes were dancing beneath her thick black lashes, black curls freely falling down her back. She took Katherine’s hand in hers and squeezed, a small smile gracing her lips.

“You really think this could work?” She whispered.

“I think so. If we can just find a place to live, somewhere private, then we won’t have to hide anymore. And I’m free.” Katherine let herself have a moment of happiness at the word. She was free. Free from her father. Free from the inevitability of marriage. Free.

Lorelei pulled her into a tight hug, whispering into her ear.

“I cannot wait to spend the rest of my days by your side.”

Katherine laughed, squeezing her harder. “I love you.”

“I love you too. Let’s go get on that train.”

No one commented on the two women climbing into the train together, or the fact that they sat together with clasped hands, or even the fact that one of them fell asleep on top of the other halfway through the ride.

They could start anew.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Race hadn’t meant to say yes to a ride.

He was just going to visit Spot was all. But suddenly, Spot had offered to take him out for a ride, and he had blurted out yes. He wanted to spend time with Spot, after all, and he liked him.

Spot gave him a buckskin mare named Pumpkin to ride, and he rode his black horse. The saddle and bridle felt new, the leather too soft and shiny. Race felt as though he was too dirty to be touching them. 

Pumpkin also felt nothing like Lizzy. When Race took Lizzy on trail rides, Lizzy was lazy, always plodding along slowly, head low, perfectly content to be going at whatever pace suited her best at the moment. 

But Pumpkin was eager. Her neck was arched, black-tipped ears flicking around, nostrils flared, lifting her feet up high. Spot seemed to notice that Race was nervous, and he pulled his horse around to face him.

“You okay?”

Race felt his face heat up, and he scrambled for the right words to say. 

Spot’s face softened. “Hey, don’t stress. I get it. Riding horses that aren’t like Lizzy for the first time is stressful. But I promise ya, Pumpkin ain’t going nowhere. She’s an angel, alright? Trust me.”

Race nodded tightly, managing a smile. Spot jerked his head.

“Let’s pick up the pace. I want to show you how to gallop her.” 

Race felt his heart jump. He had always wanted to gallop a horse. But Lizzy wasn’t a galloper. 

Spot urged his horse into a trot. Race’s legs felt numb, but he touched his heels to Pumpkin’s side. She picked up a pretty little trot, arching her neck proudly and nickering softly.

“You got it!” Spot reassured him. Spot clicked his tongue, and his horse picked up a smooth canter. Race followed, a smile spreading on his face. It was a glorious feeling; the rhythmic thumping of Pumpkin’s hooves on the soft grass, the smell of spring in his nose, the steady rocking of Pumpkin’s stride.

“Now, when I say,” Spot said, “give her her head, and give her a small thump.”

Before Race could nod, Spot leaned forward, allowing his horse to take off in a gallop.

Pumpkin tossed her head, giving an eager whinny. Race gulped, but steeled himself. He leaned forward, pushing his hands up her neck and thumping her sides softly with his heels.

And she was off.

Her mane whipped his face. His surroundings blurred in a way they never had before. Her hooves were loud, thundering against the ground.

_ I’m flying! _

Race let out a whooping sound, followed by a similar noise by Spot. 

He never wanted to stop. He wanted to keep galloping by Spot’s side forever, life blurring beside him except for Spot, who was crystal clear next to him.


End file.
